Malema and Shivambu to sue ex-EFF MP who accused them of corruption

EFF leader Julius Malema and his deputy Floyd Shibambu said on Wednesday they were briefing their lawyers to sue former party MP Thembinkosi Rawula.

Malema said he would sue Rawula, who resigned on Wednesday, to the tune of R1m, while Shivambu did not disclose details of his lawsuit against Rawula.

Rawula made headlines last week when he claimed that the pair had admitted in a  meeting of the party's central command team (CCT) to have personally benefited from the looting of VBS Mutual Bank.

Malema said Rawula would have to back up his claims in court.

"I have never said the things they say I said about VBS. I made a political overview and spoke extensively about the VBS and its implications. One of the statements I remember saying was that VBS was supposed to be the end of the EFF, the way it was designed," said Malema.

"I am suing [Rawula] for R1m for saying I stole EFF money, and that is not an EFF issue, it is between me and him. I am taking him to the cleaners. He needs to prove.

"In response to the letter I wrote to him saying he must withdraw what he said, he asked  me for financial statements of the EFF and all that, effectively asking me to prove his case on his behalf.

"If the court says to me, 'produce the bank statements to prove that you are not taking the EFF money', I will do that and I am prepared to be under the lifestyle audit of a credible institution to demonstrate that I take no money of the EFF," he added.

Malema announced that Rawula had forwarded his resignation letter from parliament to the party on Wednesday and said he would not enjoy his pension as he had to fund the upcoming lawsuit.