Pravin is a better devil than Van Rooyen: Julius Malema

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema claims he was asked by allies of President Jacob Zuma to help get rid of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Malema weighed in yesterday on reports about Gordhan's imminent arrest as reported in the Sunday Times.

At the shack of a disabled man in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Malema let rip: "Zuma's people came to me and said: 'We don't want Pravin and we know you guys don't ... so please write to the president so that the president can answer genuinely and honestly so that we can create a cloud around Pravin'."

Malema has been on the campaign trail on the Cape Flats. In Khayelitsha he promised wheelchair-bound Lubabalo Pholose a formal house.

He blamed the DA and ANC for neglecting the poor but then went on to tackle the headlines of the week.

Malema would not say who had asked him to help bring down Gordhan but said the plan was to have the minister arrested and fired because "we can't have a minister who is facing serious charges".

• READ MORE: ANC has 'full confidence' in Gordhan

Malema said he refused to join the plot.

"We know they want to finish him off because they want the Treasury so that they can steal the money direct from the Reserve Bank."

At the weekend the Sunday Times lifted the lid on what it said were plans to have Gordhan arrested.

While he was at the helm of the SA Revenue Service, a unit - subsequently characterised as a "rogue unit" - was established to counter illegal tax-related activities. The Hawks are investigating whether Gordhan and others breached the Intelligence Act in the formation of the unit.

The Sunday Times article sparked national concern and a statement from the Presidency, which said that the claims were the "work of dangerous information peddlers who wish to cause confusion and mayhem".

Malema believes Gordhan will be arrested by "Zuma's government".

"[Gordhan] is not our favourite but we are happy there is some sense of stability. We have to choose between two devils. One devil is called 'Pravin' and the other devil is called 'Van Rooyen'. Pravin is the better devil and we can live with that devil," said Malema.

"It's a mess - the ANC and Zuma are prepared to collapse this country because of their own personal interests."

• READ MORE: Gordhan: Help me!

He said the Presidency's statement was an indication that Zuma was interfering with the judicial process.

"Zuma must not know who is going to be arrested ... so the day he says the rumours are wrong then he is confirming that he is interfering."

The Presidency did not respond to questions about Malema's statements and neither did the Finance Minister's spokesman.

Political analyst Steven Friedman brushed off Malema's utterances as "standard opposition politics".

At the weekend Malema called on protesters to burn down ANC offices instead of schools.

"His strategy is that all publicity is good publicity, so if he says something about fire-bombing ANC offices it will get headlines, even if it is not a particularly responsible statement," said Friedman.

Analyst Daniel Silke said the EFF is clearly "attempting to muscle in" on ANC strongholds in the Western Cape, targeting the vulnerable in selected ANC constituencies.

"There is a dangerous tendency to heighten the rhetoric in this election campaign, which can inflame political debate," said Silke. "Political tolerance is going to be tested."