Former minister of international relations and cooperation, Naledi Pandor, says Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has walked back his defamatory statements about her.
However, Pandor – newly appointed as chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation – says she wishes Malema had shown the courage to retract his statement that she had received for a home loan and benefitted from the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank.
Pandor, speaking to Newzroom Afrika’s Iman Rappetti, said she had received a letter from Malema’s lawyer, which effectively walked back the statement.
Loud allegation, muted retraction
She says Malema, through his legal representatives, said he was merely agitating politically when he said – with no evidence – that Pandor had financed her home through VBS, which was looted and destroyed by its executives and service providers, in alleged collaboration with politicians from the ANC and EFF.
“Mr Malema failed to act within the deadline we had set for him to publicly apologise. What my lawyers received was a response from his lawyers. He has said he meant me no harm and while the words were harsh, I should take it that he meant no harm.
“He also undertakes that he will never make such a statement again but he doesn’t say that he lied. He says it was part of political discourse.
“I wish he had had the courage to stand up publicly and say he was wrong…
“I am really quite disappointed in him but I’m not surprised,” Pandor said towards the end of the interview.
“I believe he doesn’t have the courage to stand up,” Pandor responded when asked by Rappetti if she thought the muted retraction was “cowardly”.
Pandor shocked by Malema’s utterances
The day after Malema’s statement on 17 September, Pandor emphatically denied Malema’s allegations, calling them “baseless” and demanded that Malema retract his utterances and apologise.
“I unequivocally deny ever receiving such a bond and challenge Mr Malema to publicly present the evidence supporting this falsehood. Should he fail to do so, I demand a public apology for not only lying about me but tarnishing my reputation,” she said via a statement circulated on X (formerly Twitter).
Pandor added that he was disappointed in Malema’s dishonesty.
“As a leader of a political party represented in Parliament, I am deeply disappointed by Malema’s dishonesty. It is appalling that he would resort to such low tactics in an attempt to damage my good name,” Pandor said.
Matodzi, Malema, Shivambu and VBS
To the contrary, Malema and his former friend Floyd Shivambu have been fingered as recipients of dirty VBS money.
In August 2017, former chairperson of VBS and Vele Investments, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, revealed in an affidavit that he had facilitated money for Malema and Shivambu.
In the affidavit, Matodzi explained how the payments to the duo came about.
He said that there was a lot of negative publicity after VBS had granted former president Jacob Zuma a R10 million loan for his Nkandla residence and that Malema would regularly slander VBS at political rallies.
“As chairman of VBS, I then decided that Malema and EFF should be approached for VBS to explain its position and how the loan was granted,” Matodzi said.
Further, he explained that he met with Malema and Shivambu in Sandton around April/May 2017. The party’s current secretary-general, Marshall Dlamini, was also present. However, he did not participate in the meeting.
“I then proposed that VBS can donate R5 million and R1 million per month to the EFF. I also made it clear that the amount could only be deposited into a VBS account and that the EFF should therefore open a bank account with VBS.
“At some stage Floyd indicated to me they have opened an account at VBS in the name of a company called Sgameka. A transfer of R5 million, as promised, was made on my instructions from Malibongwe to Sgameka on 8 June 2017.
“Subsequent payments were made to the Sgameka VBS account every month and were paid from Vele or any of Vele’s subsidiaries. Myself, Julius and Floyd understood that concept of ‘donation’ to mean gratification hence Floyd and Julius did not provide me with EFF’s own banking details for these ‘donations’,” Matodzi explained.
Matodzi is currently in prison after pleading guilty to 33 charges related to the looting of VBS Mutual Bank.
He was handed a 495-year sentence for theft, fraud, money laundering and racketeering (15 years for each count) but will effectively serve 15 years since the sentences will run concurrently.
Do you think Naledi Pandor let Julius Malema off the hook too easily?
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