Julius Malema, the head of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), defended his partying in Ibiza by stating that his battle against poverty and for economic freedom could not be damaged by his extravagant trip to the Spanish party city. Malema attended the daughter of tobacco dealer Adriano Mazzotti’s wedding last month, where he was captured on film laughing and joking with a group of individuals behind the DJ decks. Malema stated in an interview with News24 last week that his travel was only to accept an invitation to the wedding and was not, as was rumoured, a party excursion. My work cannot be affected by a trip to Ibiza, he remarked.

 

 
malema

This individual (Mazzotti) and I grew up together, although he is considerably older than me. I met him in the ANC and we became friends. We became family friends in time. I will attend his daughter’s wedding, whether it takes place in Ulundi or Ibiza, because she is my daughter. He stated that the purpose of the trip was to honour a long-standing friendship. “I didn’t travel to Ibiza; I went to a wedding, and I told you that I would have attended even if it had been held in Ulundi. I travel everywhere as long as I have a reason. I did not awaken with the intention of vacationing in Ibiza with my wife. The wedding invitation was honoured.

I am her father since I am friends with her father. Mazzotti is not a self-confessed crook,” he stated. Mazzotti, who confessed illegal activity to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in 2014, owns the opulent Hyde Park home where Malema and his family reside. Mazzotti stated, in a notarized May 2014 affidavit, that he and his company, Carnilinx, were complicit in fraud, money laundering, corruption, tax evasion and bribes. In the affidavit, he admitted evading tax on the sale of cigarettes and paid a senior attorney who assisted with his defence R500,000 in cash as a bonus.

Ibiza

He also admitted to paying politicians, although he did not identify them. Malema minimised this by stating that Mazzotti merely inked a deal with SARS to advance his case. Malema said that his political will, not his address, was what mattered when it came to his dedication to fighting for economic freedom for impoverished South Africans despite misconceptions that he led a lavish lifestyle. “I do not struggle to remain in Alexandra. I am trying to remain in a better area, where everyone has access to schools, clinics, roads, and water. And if that is how you define luxury, I am more than willing to fight for it,” he remarked.

“How did you deal with that when Mandela was released from prison and resided in Houghton for 27 years without working, and you still loved him and believed he was fighting for the poor? Why does this only pertain to me? Where did Chris Hani perish? Chris Hani was killed in a squatter camp, correct? Or a village?” Malema’s political opponents have accused him of hypocrisy since he enjoys the finer things in life. He disagreed with the claim that he could advocate for the disadvantaged while residing in a wealthy suburb. “It is erroneous to say that you cannot advocate for the underprivileged because of your residence. Important question: “Do you have political will?”