[YCLSA Discussion] Malema's men go head to head with media

[Dominic Tweedie]

Malema's men go head to head with media     The Times, Johannesburg, 2 March 2010   Julius Malema's spokesman and his attorney had been expected to use the press conference to debunk reports about the ANC Youth League president's business interests but instead they used the opportunity to attack journalists.   A press briefing called yesterday to clarify the extent of Malema's involvement in Limpopo companies that won government tenders turned into a clash between journalists, league spokesman Floyd Shivambu and Malema' s lawyer, Tumi Mokwena.   When an eNews reporter asked for written proof that Malema had resigned from SGL Engineering Projects, a company that won lucrative contracts in Limpopo, Shivambu responded angrily: "You have been impassioned [sic] to ask that lousy question."   He accused journalists of being "opportunistic".   "eNews had the information we gave them, that Malema had resigned from all the companies he had been involved in, but they went ahead to publish the story without including the information we gave them. That's malicious," said Shivambu.   When another journalist tried to ask a question, he raised his voice, saying: "Let's not stretch the issues. You must raise those questions in a proper platform. You look older than me, but you behave like a child."   Mokwena said Malema was not "aware" of his directorship in SGL Engineering Projects, which was reportedly established in May.   He said Malema had instructed him to deregister him as a director of 101 Junjus Trading, Blue Nightingale Trading 61, Ever Roaring Investment and Nkgape Mining Investment shortly after he was elected president of the youth league in April 2008.   Mokwena said he had used the website of the Companies and Intellectual Properties Registration Office (Cipro) to deregister Malema from all the companies.   Mokwena was handed a copy of the document obtained by the City Press newspaper that Malema allegedly signed to become a 70% shareholder in SGL Engineering Projects.   The lawyer said he would ask signature experts to prove that Malema's signature was forged on the document.   The DA's youth wing spokesman, Khume Ramulifho, urged Malema to prove his claim that he instructed his lawyers to deregister him as a director of all four companies, failing which the ANC must investigate him.   "Julius Malema needs to back up his claims that he instructed lawyers to deregister him as a director of four companies with the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office.   "If there is some conspiracy against Malema, as he and his lawyers seem to intimate, then he needs to substantiate that claim because, while it is perfectly possible for the ANC Youth League to fabricate the wildest fantasies at the drop of a hat, it is more difficult for the people to understand why it is that the country's leading media houses, Cipro, the former Limpopo premier and whichever other 'forces of darkness' have all joined forces against him in such a comprehensive and all-encompassing manner," Ramulifho said.   From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/article334458.ece   -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email yclsa-eom-forum-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): yclsa-eom-forum-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com .