The Economic Freedom Fighters say that the recent Gupta email scandal was proof that those who run government today have betrayed the country, and that this betrayal was worse than treason.

The party and its leader, Julius Malema, were addressing the leak of thousands of emails detailing the Gupta family’s web of influence over government officials, leveraging that influence to score contracts and business deals with various state companies.

The emails have become a hot topic of debate among South Africans and in the media. While many have questioned the authenticity of the emails, consensus among legal experts is that the sheer volume of emails makes it unlikely they are fake.

The EFF holds that the information contained in the leaks is 100% true.

“We can confirm for sure that these email are authentic because the information they contain has been known to us long ago. On many occasions, we have taken the country into confidence about money movements into Dubai through the president and cabinet ministers,” Malema said.

“We have also spoken about off-shore accounts as well as related state corruption that benefits the Gupta family in entities like Trasnet, Eskom, SAA and Denel. All what we have been saying is now supported by hardcore evidence that is available for anyone to see.”

The EFF leader said that the emails go further to prove that president Zuma and his cronies have staged a coup in South Africa, as the information corroborates many of the dealings detailed in the Public Protector’s report into state capture.

Malema said that president Zuma’s bid to have the Public Protector’s report reviewed was a delaying tactic, in line with the same tactics he used to delay the Spytapes saga. He said South African’s can’t wait until October (when the matter is to be heard) for the matter to move forward.

The EFF said that it has sent a letter of demand that Zuma withdraw his review application – failing which the party will approach the courts to have the matter brought forward on an urgent basis.

At a press briefing on Thursday, the party also sought to expose new information and evidence pointing to Gupta-led corruption at Transnet.

According to Malema, there was a tender issued for over 1,024 locomotives, which has allegedly been inflated at the request of the Guptas.

The EFF leader said that the intitial tender contract priced the locomotives at R27 million under General Electric – this went down to R24 million per locomotive under another bid, and then inflated to R33 million under the ‘advice’ of the Guptas.

Malema claimed that the bid has now moved to R42 million per locomotive. This inflated the overall price increase to over R17.5 billion, Malema said, with the Guptas pocketing R10 billion of that.

The EFF said that it will be opening cases against finance minister Malusi Gigaba, and reporting Gupta-linked company, Trillian Capital and its director Salim Essa to the Financial Services Board.

It also said it would take all its documentation to Parliament, and give the courts its information which will confirm the authenticity of the Gupta leak emails.

[Source: Business Tech]