Hermione Cronje was instructed to charge EFF leaders, claims Malema

The resignation of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) investigating unit head Hermione Cronje was the result of political pressure mounted on her to target political opponents of the governing regime.

Among such pressures was to charge EFF leader Julius Malema and the party’s MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi by no later than March 2022.

These were the sensational claims made by Malema outside the Randburg magistrate’s court on Monday morning after the postponement of his case for allegedly assaulting a police officer during Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral.

“Cronje has resigned from the NPA. You know why. She was given a mandate to ‘charge Malema and Ndlozi before March next year — we do not care what you do’,” Malema alleged.

“But there is nothing she can use to charge us and has got pressure to charge people.

“This thing called special priority crimes is no longer working on real crime. It is political targeting,” he charged.

“They target individuals and then they smear you and leave you out there. They do not care what happens and you live with a permanent dark cloud.”

Malema said efforts to link him to manipulation of administrators in municipalities in which the EFF has been in informal partnerships were part of an agenda “to throw mud” at him.

“If the DA or anyone had proof Malema had ever manipulated municipal officials and procurement processes, such would have been a matter of public record by now.

“The one who accuses must bring the proof. Which municipal manager have we manipulated? Which CFO have we manipulated? I do not know a single CFO in any of these municipalities because I am not interested.

“We have given these people a nightmare, both the DA and the ANC. If there was anything tangible by now, they would have produced it. Why have they not? They just smear and leave you out there.”

Malema and Ndlozi both face a charge of common assault for the incident at the funeral in 2018, when they allegedly pushed a police officer. They have pleaded not guilty. The trial was postponed to April 7 2022.

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