The Commander-in-Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters this week confirmed the decision of his office to suspend Mpumalanga secretary Alfred Skhosana, saying Skhosana is the one who flouted party rules by going to the bank to reverse the debit order.
Malema discovered this later after Skhosana had done it and took the decision to suspend him from all party duties pending a disciplinary hearing on 12 September.
The decision to place Skhosana on suspension is contained in a charge sheet sent to him by Malema’s office a week ago and in it Skhosana is charged with “misconduct” after Skhosana violated internal party rules on the 15% party levy deducted from the salaries of all members of the party serving in Parliament and provincial legislatures as well as newly elected councillors of the party – at 50% for now.
Malema explained the decision: “The party levy helps the EFF to ensure that the party is not captured by capital. It sustains itself through the party levy”.
He said not paying the party levy was equal to selling the struggle to the “highest bidder” or “stealing from the party”.
“If you allow the party to be financed by private donors and not its members, you are selling the party to the highest bidder,” he said,
Malema was speaking to journalists at the party’s headquarters in Braamfontein, Gauteng on Monday.
“That is why we are very strict with paying party levy,” he added.
Three days ago Skhosana told an 013NEWS reporter that he would hand himself over to the party’s national disciplinary committee next week Monday but “these issues are for the organisation, are internal and I don’t discuss them,” before he referred all media queries to provincial spokesman and chairman Collen Sedibe who also said these are internal matters.
The charge sheet in Skhosana’s possession – signed by party national prosecutor Linda Mabengwane and delivered to Skhosana before a special provincial command team meeting suspending him on 28 August from all his duties and temporarily replaced by his deputy, Ntsako Mkhabela – states that Skhosana violated internal party rules on 15 June 2016 after he “directly or indirectly and tacitly” defied an instruction from the top structure that he pays the party levy, “which could amount to the contravention of your membership declaration,” the charge sheet says.
It also states: “Please take note that the above stated disciplinary hearing will be on 12 September 2016, at 2nd floor, Mineralia Building, 78 De Korte Street at 10.00 or as soon as the matter may be heard”.
Malema said: “All of us who are members of councils, Parliament and legislatures pay the levy. There are members who have refused to pay their dues and yet live lavish lifestyles. We are going to deal decisively with those who refuse to pay the levy because that is effectively stealing from the party”.
SEE ALSO – EXCLUSIVE: Malema suspends Mpumalanga secretary
(edited by ZK)
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