Julius Malema
Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981, Seshego, Limpopo) is the founder and president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South Africa’s third-largest party in the 2024 general election. He served as president of the ANC Youth League from 2008 to 2012, during which he became nationally prominent for radical economic transformation rhetoric, vocal support for land expropriation without compensation, and initially strong support for Jacob Zuma — before breaking with Zuma and the ANC. He and Floyd Shivambu were expelled from the ANC in 2012; they founded the EFF in 2013. Since the EFF’s formation, Malema has been a dominant force in South African parliamentary opposition politics, known for combative interventions and populist economic programme.
The most serious corruption allegation against Malema centres on the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. In early 2017, the EFF was publicly criticising VBS but simultaneously defending it as “victimised” — framing the South African Reserve Bank’s curatorship scrutiny as politically motivated because VBS had given Zuma an R8 million home loan. VBS chairman Tshifhiwa Matodzi exploited this ambiguity. His 253-page affidavit (filed as part of his Section 105A plea deal with the NPA in July 2024, leaked the day after he began serving his 15-year sentence) describes a meeting at “the EFF’s penthouse in Sandton” with Malema, Floyd Shivambu, and Marshall Dlamini. Matodzi proposed R5 million immediately plus R1 million per month if the EFF opened a VBS account and ceased its public attacks. Per the affidavit, the parties agreed; funds were to flow via Brian Shivambu’s Sgameka Projects. Matodzi stated the parties later met again to “regularise” the payments with full knowledge of their source.
The Scorpio investigative unit (Daily Maverick, September 2019) independently reconstructed the money trail from leaked VBS banking records and Sgameka/Mahuna Investments account statements. R16.1 million total was traced through Sgameka Projects, with specific expenditures allocated to Malema: upgrades to his Sandton home, a Soweto restaurant (jointly with Floyd Shivambu), school fees for his son, and designer clothing including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and tailored suits totalling R148,827 in a single payment to designer Linda Makhanya. SARS traced R3.6 million in VBS loot directly into Floyd Shivambu’s FNB Private Wealth account across 23 payments via Sgameka and Grand Azania. The Parliamentary Ethics Committee (October 2023) found Floyd Shivambu received R180,000 via Sgameka transfers and found “no evidence Julius Malema personally received any VBS funds” — a finding Daily Maverick and amaBhungane characterised as relying on an “inappropriately narrow evidentiary threshold.” As of April 2026, no criminal charges have been filed against Malema or Floyd Shivambu. Malema and Shivambu “carefully avoided publicly commenting on the VBS issue” (Daily Maverick, October 2023), though following the Matodzi affidavit, EFF attorney Dali Mpofu’s comments effectively admitted the EFF received VBS money, framing it as a political donation.
Malema has also been named in connection with the Big Five cartel. He confirmed visiting the farm of the cartel’s “president” Msibi in April 2026, characterising it as a social visit and denying any criminal links. Testimony before the Madlanga Commission had mentioned Malema in connection with the Big Five network. No formal charges or commission findings against Malema on this matter have been made as of April 2026. Floyd Shivambu left the EFF in 2024 to join the MK Party (uMkhonto we Sizwe), reducing the EFF’s national profile. Brian Shivambu’s companies were targeted by SARS for liquidation, with R28.2 million in taxes and penalties demanded.
Connections
- VBS Mutual Bank — R16.1m channelled via Brian Shivambu/Sgameka Projects; Matodzi affidavit; Sandton penthouse meeting (early 2017); no prosecution as of April 2026
- Floyd Shivambu — EFF co-founder; brother Brian was the financial conduit; R3.6m traced to Floyd’s FNB account; left EFF 2024 for MK Party
- Brian Shivambu — Floyd’s brother; controlled Sgameka Projects and Grand Azania; R16.148m received from VBS; SARS demanding R28.2m
- Tshifhiwa Matodzi — VBS chairman; described Sandton meeting in 253-page plea affidavit (July 2024); now state witness
- Big Five cartel — confirmed visit to Msibi’s farm (April 2026); denied criminal links
- Madlanga Commission — named in testimony regarding Big Five cartel political connections
- Jacob Zuma — former ally turned adversary; EFF’s VBS defence was framed around Zuma’s R8m home loan from VBS
- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) — founder and president; EFF as party received direct VBS payments via Sgameka