A South Africa lobby group says it is going to privately prosecute outspoken South African opposition leader Julius Malema on allegations of corruption and fraud. Afriforum, a group that campaigns to protect the rights of white Afrikaners, said it was taking up a case against the Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader as the National Prosecuting Authority had failed to pursue it.
A report by South Africa’s anti-corruption ombudsman in 2012 had recommended that legal proceedings be opened over how On-Point Engineering, a company Mr Malema co-owned, was awarded a tender by the Limpopo roads and transport department.
The EFF leader denied the allegations at the time, saying they were politically motivated.
In response to today’s announcement, he tweeted that he was not scared, adding: “No white man will decide my destiny.”
Mr Malema, who was expelled from the governing African National Congress (ANC) in 2012 for bringing the party into disrepute, is known for making strident and controversial comments.
He has told his supporters that white people cannot claim to own land in South Africa because it belongs to the country’s black majority.
