Mogotsi, O’Sullivan must produce proof of security threat: Malema

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says businessman Brian Mogotsi and private investigator Paul O’ Sullivan must produce evidence that there is a security threat to their lives.

This comes after Mogotsi and O’ Sullivan refused to testify before the Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations of criminal infiltration, corruption and political interference in the country’s criminal justice system in-person, citing security concerns.

On Monday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza urged the committee not take Mogotsi’s security concerns lightly.

Last month, the committee resolved to subpoena O’ Sullivan and rejected his request to testify virtually.

Speaking on Morning Live on Thursday morning, Malema says the speaker is not following the rules.

He says, “No, there are no rules being followed, we wrote to her in October, she only responded now knowing that by the 28^th of February we must wrap up our work, so we don’t have time and that response once it comes late even if you want to challenge it, there is nothing you can do about it.”

Malema says, “But it’s not for her to say we must prove that indeed to say there is no security threat on Mogotsi or Paul O’ Sullivan, one, there is a security of Parliament that works with the police, that works with intelligence. If they call upon any witness and they pick up security threat without even telling the committee, they take measures and ensure that witnesses are protected in such a way that it doesn’t compromise the integrity of the committee.”

SECURITY THREAT

Malema says, “Mogotsi who is alleging, must proof, he’s the one that is alleging that there is a security threat, Paul O’ Sullivan says there is a security threat but they don’t produce anything.’

“I can just come to you and say ‘I’m pregnant’ without a pregnancy test, I must be able to demonstrate that I’m pregnant, so I can’t just take your word for it, they must proof, they have not produced anything except to say ‘we are threatened’, and with Mogotsi it’s even worse, they say ‘he shot his own car’ and never went to the police station, when police were looking for him, so how do you trust such as person?”

Malema adds: “He’s coming to implicate the ANC because he was a go in-between (Vuzimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Senzo Mchunu and the rest of them and they are tired of hearing that side of the story.”

RAMAPHOSA

Malema says there is a special relationship between O’ Sullivan and President Cyril Ramaphosa.

He says, “Paul will do the same to work with (Robert) McBride is work with high cadres of the ANC, McBride did not deny that time of relationship, we know that Paul has a relationship with the president post 1994.”

“That is why there is an article in the papers, an old article that shows Paul handing over an award to the president for community policing, what has the president got to do with policing, community policing during apartheid, there were no community policing at that time, we were underground, we were in exile, prison, everywhere else fighting the struggle.”

Malema says, “The President is being awarded by an alleged spy from Britain as one of the good people during apartheid, so you can see this dates back to those difficult times. We are not going to get Paul O’ Sullivan because they enjoyed the ANC’s speaker’s protection.”