Baldwin Ndaba and Mashudu Sadike
Pretoria - EFF leader Julius Malema says his party was consulting with its lawyers to urgently stop the sale of SAA to Takatso Consortium - a “politically connected group” which is linked to “white capitalists” in South Africa.
Malema used these strongly worded statements to describe the failed deal between the government and the Takatso Consortium, which was put on hold last week. Takatso is led by Harith chairman Tshepo Mahloele, who is also the owner of Arena Holdings, the publishers of Sunday Times.
Despite the withdrawal of the deal, Malema was adamant that they were in consultation with their legal team to reverse the deal saying it was part of a plan by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to privatise all the State owned enterprises in the country.
He was addressing the media this afternoon on the outcomes of the EFF’s national command council meeting held over the weekend.
“We have referred the matter to our lawyers to reverse the deal. You can’t sell an airline for R51. Not even a single plane costs R51 or a part of it. We are going to reverse the deal. SAA should not be for sale,” Malema said.
He said his party had observed that under the current government, the conditions of the people of South Africa were getting worse with rising levels of unemployment and poverty.
“While our people are getting poorer, the current government has surrendered all power to the white capitalist establishment. Government has already declared that it is not its responsibility to create jobs, but the responsibility of the white capitalist establishment.”
“In the middle of job losses and rising poverty levels, the prices of all necessities are rising, and this includes the price of fuel. Rising fuel and food prices worsen the living conditions of our people and the current government has no willingness and capacity to combat rising prices that worsen the living conditions of our people,” he added.
Malema said the Ramaphosa government had already started the dangerous and evidently unsustainable path of privatising State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).
“We condemn and oppose the disposal of South African Airways because its disposal is not justifiable and corrupt. There is absolutely no rationality on selling off an airline for R51 to people who are linked to and controlled by the white capitalist establishment.
“We will do everything in our power to reverse the sale of SAA because it is evident that all State-Owned Companies will first be made to not function well, and thereafter given for free to the white capitalist establishment,’ said the EFF leader.
Malema said the problems of Eskom and Denel were part of the current’s government intention and method of incapacitating State-Owned Companies so that they could be later handed over to the private sector.
Mahloele, the Takatso Consortium, the Presidency, SAA and the Department of Public Enterprises had yet to respond to requests for comment at the time of going to print.
Pretoria News