Orange overalls await EFF leaders, plus 5 highlights from 'Vrye Weekblad'

If the facts exposed by the Daily Maverick's Pauli van Wyk in the VBS Mutual Bank saga survive the scrutiny of the courts, EFF leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu are going to be sent off to jail. 

That won't mean only the end of their own political careers, but would probably reduce the EFF to a splinter group. Malema is the heart and soul of the party.

It would also fundamentally change the political landscape in SA. The EFF might have only 10% of voters' support but they probably have more influence on national politics than the official opposition, the DA.

Despite their public spats, there is a major symbiotic relationship between the EFF and the ANC. Malema understands the ANC's internal dynamics better than many of the ANC leaders do and he knows what buttons to push. He knows his anti-white (and anti-Indian) rhetoric and simplistic, old school socialist suggestions are supported by many ANC supporters and he uses the swearword “sell-out” very effectively. Even Cosatu has echoed his sentiments on economic policy in the last couple of months. 

Read more about the VBS saga, plus more news and analysis in this week's edition of Afrikaans digital weekly Vrye Weekblad.

Malema and Shivambu definitely know what is awaiting them in the VBS case. 

The two leaders' extreme rhetoric and wild attacks have reached new highs lately, and we know that is the old EFF way to divert attention from their problems. 

Malema's recent attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling him a “bastard”, came slightly out the blue and his fake allegations this week that Ramaphosa was partying with “white capital” while the youth were protesting in 1976 is proof of this deflection. 

The wheels of justice turn slowly, especially in SA, but there is a chance that Malema and Shivambu will end up in the dock or in jail.

And that would shatter the EFF's dreams.

Read the full article in this week's Vrye Weekblad

Must-read articles in this week's Vrye Weekblad

>> Browse the full June 19 edition

FREE TO READ — THE TROUBLE WITH TAX | Everyone wants to inherit a beach house, but shouldn't higher inheritance tax be used to make sure everyone could at least have some sort of house? 

SEXY BEASTS | Cattle owned by black small-scale farmers that are kept on communal land have never been part of the formal beef market. It is a lost opportunity for income, especially in the faraway rural areas

OFF TRACK | Prasa needs to spend another R1,9bn on its passenger trains to meet the government's requirements for Covid-19. 

DEAR ELSA | Elsa Joubert stormed the world in the days when a woman's place was in the home. We honour this pioneer who would have been at home in any era and any environment.

IF TAXIS COULD FLY | Minibus taxis get millions of people to work and back every day. Something needs to be done to save this industry from collapse.