Vavi on state contracts

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has called for all career politicians - and their spouses - to be banned from doing business with the government. And three ANC Youth League branches have leapt to the defence of their president, Julius Malema, in the wake of reports that he has earned R140-million through state-awarded contracts. The ANC Youth League in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape said Malema had broken no laws by doing business with the government.

The campaign to expose his business dealings was being driven by factionalism within the ANC and racism, the provincial structures said. "We reaffirm that the constitution of the country allows for all citizens... to engage in legitimate business activity... for as long as the country's economic establishment is structured in the manner it is, young people of this country should not be penalised for seizing the opportunities brought about by this kind of economic dispensation," said Mpumalanga league secretary Isaac Mahlangu.

It was reported at the weekend that Malema had scored tenders worth R140m, mainly with municipalities in his home province of Limpopo. Vavi, who has called for lifestyle audits to be done on politicians and public officials, said the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP should develop guidelines banning members and their spouses or relatives from benefiting from state tenders. "We have to say 'how do we avoid a conflict of interest?' Even if someone is not directly involved in the business, maybe it's your wife or husband... it can't be okay that a minister, a premier, a mayor or a councillor's wife does business with the government that you lead. There should be an outright ban on people's representatives doing business with the government," Vavi said.

Mahlangu said the revelations about Malema's contracts were in part an intensification of dirty lobbying ahead of the ANC Youth League's national congress in 2011 and the ANC's elective conference in 2012. Malema is expected to be challenged by his deputy, Andile Lungisa, at the youth league congress, while the league is backing Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to replace Gwede Mantashe as ANC secretary-general in 2012.

ANC Youth League Northern Cape secretary Dikgang Stock said the organisation was outraged and flabbergasted by reports on Malema's lifestyle. "These flaccid media reports are a poor attempt to ferment ferocious opposition to our programme of action that includes the redistribution of wealth of this country to the poor, including our firm, unwavering call for the nationalisation of the lucrative mining industry.

ANCYL Gauteng provincial secretary Thabo Kupa said attempts to discredit Malema would not succeed. "President Malema is a political activist who is a child of the working class and a poor family. His work for the poor is well known to everyone, therefore any attempt by forces that connive with capital to discredit him has never and will not succeed," he said. Kupa said it was malicious to associate with corruption the attempts by young black people to succeed in business.

ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said Malema had not broken any laws by engaging in business with government. "Comrade Malema is neither a member of Parliament or a cabinet minister and he has therefore not breached any law or code of ethics by being involved in business," he said.

Source: IoL