EFF leader Julius Malema has responded to the controversy surrounding his absence during parliament’s ad hoc committee hearing of testimony from suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya in October. Malema’s non-attendance sparked speculation about a possible protective relationship with Sibiya. Critics questioned why the EFF leader, a prominent member of the committee, missed the crucial opportunity to cross-examine Sibiya.
Briefing the media on Thursday, Malema dismissed the speculation and defended his absence, asserting that Sibiya’s poor performance at the hearing, even without him there, exposed the suspended deputy commissioner. “I’m not scared of Sibiya,” Malema said. “He is messing up.
I don’t know how he will come out of this one.” Malema argued that his presence was not necessary to expose the witness. “His performance in the absence of Malema was extremely poor in the ad hoc committee, and it exposed him. Why do you need Malema, because even in the absence of Malema, Sibiya performed so bad?
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The ad hoc committee still exposes him.” He added that his absence did not save Sibiya from scrutiny. “If Malema was there, it was going to be worse than that, that’s what you missed, I understand, but the guy still didn’t perform well in the absence of Malema. If you thought I was staying away because I was rescuing him, it didn’t help.
The guy performed very badly.” Malema said the EFF is adequately represented at the inquiry, with EFF alternate member Leigh-Ann Mathys standing in for him when he is unavailable, and that those who doubt her capability undermine her. He advised Sibiya to resign from his position to save his pension money being wasted on legal fees. “If Sibiya was a human being he shouldn’t have challenged his suspension.
He should not be putting us through what he’s putting us through. Sibiya should be packing and going home. He should be negotiating his pension.
“If it’s going to take us this long, he must know he’s eating on his pension. No government will pay his legal fees.
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