A forfeiture order is granted in connection with a farm said to belong to the former ANCYL leader Julius Malema. – image – www.guardian.co.uk
This year has been off to a rocky start for former ANCYL president Julius Malema. Known for his high-spirited and controversial rants against anyone who so much as questions him about any subject he would rather avoid, Julius Malema has been unusually quiet lately. Last year, he lost his position in the African National Congress as the head of its youth league. And then, as soon as the year began in January, Malema lost two prime properties to the sheriff. His Polokwane and Sandton homes went under the hammer to cover part of his R16 million bill with the South African Revenue Services.
Julius Malema, often referred to as Juju by the media and public, is the focus of a major investigation into racketeering and fraud. Authorities are interested in all the facts surrounding a tender that was awarded to On-Point Engineering in the corruption-ridden province of Limpopo. The head of On-Point Engineering is Mr Lesiba Cuthbert Gwangwa who is alleged to be Julius Malema’s frontman.
This Monday, the Mail and Guardian released a report that the Asset Forfeiture Unit of National Prosecuting Authority was successful in getting a forfeiture order for a farm they believe is owned by Julius Malema. The Limpopo farm is registered as the property of Gwama Properties (Pty) Ltd where Mr Lesiba Cuthbert Gwangwa is the only director of the company.
The court concluded that this property had been purchased with profits derived from fraud, money laundering and corruption. Julius Malema had stated his intention to dispute this but he missed the deadline to submit his answering affidavit on 11 February 2013 resulting in the forfeiture order being granted.
