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Malema dares the NIA to visit him

LIVID: Julius Malema
LIVID: Julius Malema

ANCYL president Julius Malema has challenged the National Intelligence Agency to come to him for information about the league's march 'instead of intimidating innocent people'.

Malema, who was addressing a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, ahead of the march to Johannesburg and Pretoria, alleged that NIA officers had been visiting people at night to enquire about the march.

He said bus operators had also been threatened that the government would terminate their contracts should they ferry marchers.

"NIA, you are talking to the wrong people, come here, you have questions and we have answers."

He warned that the use of state organs to intimidate people who held different opinions would lead to killings.

He said the league raised the matter with the ANC and the mother body acknowledged that there were such acts of intimidation.

"We raised the matter with the leadership of the ANC, and they did not dispute it," he said.

Malema dared the NIA to visit him to enquire about the planned march which will take place on Thursday and Friday.

He said the league would use taxis to ferry marchers because bus operators had been intimidated and they were pulling out.

Spokesperson for State Security Ministry, Brian Dube, said since the league had not formally complained he was unable to comment.

Malema said people who went around campaigning against the march were misleading people.

"There is no march to bring down the government. We have no reason to rise and demand the collapse of government," he said.

Malema also denied that the march would be used to start the leadership succession in the ANC.

SACP leader Blade Nzimande spoke against the march and accused the league of undermining President Jacob Zuma's government.

The SACP-aligned Young Communist League and the SA Students Congress yesterday pulled out of the march.

Malema attacked them for blindly following Nzimande whom he ridiculed and labelled a "boss".

His deputy, Ronald Lamola, denied that he told the OR Tambo lecture he addressed in Kimberly on Sunday that Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe would take over from Zuma next year.

Lamola said he told his audience that he referred to a historic fact that deputy presidents of the ANC had always graduated into being presidents.

"I never said Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will take over next year. I said one day Motlanthe will become president," he said.

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