EFF Steps Deeper in Hot Water, Posts 25 Reasons the #GuptasMustGo

The Economic Freedom Fights of Julius Malema increased the fight against the powerful Gupta family, widely known to have connections to President Jacob Zuma, and have released a list of 25 reasons the family must leave or be forced to leave South Africa.

The list was made public shortly after the EFF and Malema were on Tuesday indicted by the North Gauteng High Court from inciting acts of violence against the Gupta family‚ Oakbay Investments‚ Gupta-owned media including The New Age and ANN7 as well as other of the family’s subsidiary company’s shareholders‚ staff and property.

Malema had said last week that he could not guarantee the safety of any Gupta employees attending EFF gatherings.

The first seven of the 25 reasons given by the EFF are:

No. 1. The Guptas are influencing President Jacob Zuma on the R1 trillion nuclear deal. After they acquired uranium mines‚ they stand to benefit greatly from the deal through supplying uranium. Zuma has been advised that the country cannot afford this nuclear deal‚ but because the Guptas family stands to benefit‚ it is being forced through. The nuclear deal will plunge SA into a massive fiscal crisis‚ collapsing SA’s currency‚ ratings and ability to provide basic services to its people.

No 2. Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was removed and replaced with Des van Rooyen because the Guptas said so. The thoughtless action of removing a Minister of Finance weakened South Africa’s currency, making it more expensive for SA to import goods and services from outside the country, and making life of ordinary South Africans more oppressive. A weakened currency has a tendency to increase inflation, further burdening ordinary South Africans.

No 3. The Guptas are exploiting the resources of this country, enriching themselves through corruption, under the guise of freedom. They illegally influence the issuing of mining rights, and have effectively taken control of key parastatals such as the SABC, TRANSNET, ESKOM, SAA and now DENEL.

No 4. In their network of influence, they have premiers of the Free State and North West provinces, ministers, chairpersons and Chief Executive Offices of state-owned enterprises. They also have control over many critical decisions that they, and the puppets they control, financially benefit from.

5. They call individual members of the ANC National Executive Committee to tell them which ministerial position they have been awarded, prior to the official announcement by Zuma. Fikile Mbalula was told by Atul Gupta that he was going to be Minister of Sports before Zuma announced the decision

No 6. They have taken over key decisions of the ruling party, including bankrolling the re-election of Zuma as president of the ANC in the 2012 National Conference. In this way, the Gupta Empire tightened the screws on their control of the ANC and the state.

No 7. In the Free State Province, through Mosebenzi Zwane, the Guptas introduced programmes amounting to millions of rands, influenced by Ace Magashule, and partnered with his son in a business – the same thing they had previously done with Jacob Zuma’s son. The partnership promised to build a dairy scheme. No dairy scheme was built, yet they gained millions of rands from the project.

The full list can be read on the EFF’s Facebook page.