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The ANC Youth League has noted reports about allegations of a ‘secret fund’ of ANC Youth League President Julius Malema as reported in various newspapers, particularly the City Press. In these reports, newspaper seek to suggest that there has been wrong –doing on the part of ANC Youth League President in establishing a Trust.

The Ratanang Family Trust is not a secret fund and all honest media and South Africans are fully aware that it is not a secret fund. When ANC Youth League President Julius Malema opened the church built by money from the Trust with President Jacob Zuma in 2009, it was openly communicated and displayed that the church was built by the Ratanang Family Trust. In many occasions, President Julius Malema has contributed to building of houses for poor families, bought school shoes and many teaching and learning support materials for many poor children across the country.

The President of the ANC Youth League has on several occasions assisted orphanages, contributed to the education of students in Universities and bought wheelchairs for needy and physically disabled children in Ikwezi Lokusa in the Eastern Cape. In all these instances, the resourcesused to help needy and poor citizens came from the Ratanang Family Trust, which is not a secret fund; because it is openly displayed in some of the work it has helped on. If the Trust was a secret Trust as alleged, it could have not been openly displayed on Church officially opened by President Zuma in front of all media.

The Ratanang Family Trust is registered with the Master of High Court, South African Revenue Services (SARS) and is tax compliant. As far as we are concerned, the Master of High Court does not register secret funds and President Julius Malema would not have registered as a trustee if the Trust was a secret fund. If there is any wrong doing on the part of the Trust, ANC Youth League President is open and ready for investigations by SARS and anyother law enforcement agencies. If there are citizens who believe that there is wrong-doing, they should report such to the Law enforcement agencies and not to Newspapers. All this should never be done to achieve narrow political scores, like some right-wing formations have already started.

ANC Youth League President instructed his Lawyers to interdict the report about the Trust, because he was convinced that it was not necessary to write about his personal finances, a message communicated in the Press Conference called to respond to allegations of a R16 million house. The ANC Youth League is of the conviction that personal finances are private and media should respect that and if there are suspicions of wrong doing, everycitizen has a right to bring that to the attention of Law enforcement agencies.

The ANC Youth League is fully behind President Julius Malema and has no reason to doubt anything he is doing, because we are aware of and highly appreciate the political, organisational, ideological and social responsibility work he has been doing since 2008. President Julius Malema remains the Commander in Chief of Economic Freedom Fighters and will soldier on until all economic liberties are attained. Attempts to discredit ANC Youth League President by the City Press and the Journalist responsible have in the past dismally failed and reprimanded by the Press Ombudsman and officially proven wrong by the Public Protector for spreading lies and unfounded rumours.

In the ruling he presented on the City Press Newspaper reports that happened between February and September 2009, the Press Ombudsman came to the judgment that the City Press newspaper “is reprimanded for:
· using a front page picture to portray a misleading message; and
· Inaccurate reporting that bridges were washed away”.

The recent reports and allegations of a secret trust will once again be dismissed and reprimanded, because they are not a reflection of reality.

The allegations of the City Press and other Newspapers have exposed to the ANC Youth League who our genuine allies are, and who are people who are gullible and can easily buy into the agenda of right-wing media instruments, used to question the leadership of the ANC Youth League because of the issues the organisation raises. The ANC Youth League is fully aware that all these allegations are an attempt to divert our attention from the issues we are raising, particularly on Nationalisation of Mines and expropriation of land without compensation. These are issues we will continue to raise without fear or favour and we will never retreat because victory is certain.