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(NEWZIMBABWE) Malema unhurt in suspicious accident

Malema unhurt in suspicious accident
by
18/04/2010 00:00:00

THE ANC Youth League suspects an attempt was made on its president Julius Malema’s life after the controversial youth leader escaped death by a whisker when his 4X4 vehicle veered off the road following a tyre burst.

The accident occured Monday aftertoon on the N1 motorway near the little town of Hammanskraal, about 30 minutes drive from Pretoria as Malema was travelling to Johannesburg from Limpopo.

South African media reports indicate that suspicion was sparked by the fact that the wheel became loose and started shacking well before bursting.

The ANCYL suspect the wheel was tampered with. They believe this could have occurred in Limpopo, where Malema spent the weekend attending a conference – which was characterised by chaos, with those who lost accusing him of rigging the elections.

Reports said Malema's driver lost control of the road monster 4x4 after the tyre burst and vehicle careered off the road before plunging into a grove of trees on a farm .

Malema escaped unharmed and was immediately taken to a back-up vehicle which was following them.

“He (Malema) was in the car with his drivers and bodyguards going to Jozi for a Cosatu meeting after spending the weekend attending a conference in Limpopo. When in the Hammanskraal area, the president asked why the car was vibrating and shaking.

“Soon after that there was a huge explosive sound and the car went off the road. But the driver managed to control the vehilce until it came to a halt in a farmyard. The president did not sustain any injury. He is lucky to have survived because the car hit rocks and other objects before it came to a standstill,” an eyewitness said.

ANC Youth League spokesman Floyd Shivambu said they were conducting their own investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

“We are indeed conducting our own investigation. We hope it is not an attempt on his life because we will act in a vigorous way. We are on guard and we are ready for any action.

“People should stop threatening our president (Malema) because we are not going to make threats, we are going to take action,” he said.

Meanwhile there are also reports that senior ANC leaders plan to take President Jacob Zuma to task for his recent public censure of Malema.

Zuma publicly rebuked the outspoken youth leader over his defiance of a court order banning the liberation struggle song 'dubula ibhunu' and his ejection of a BBC journalist from a press conference calling him a "bastard" and "agent".

The South African President, who is the SADC-appointed mediator for Zimbabwe, also took excerption to Malema's criticism of the MDC party which he dismissed an imperial proxy.

However Malema's supporters in the ANC are saind to be planning to tell Zuma at the party's national working committee on Monday that he was wrong to criticise the youth leader in public.

Zuma's call to discipline Malema is likely to top the agenda of the 28-member committee's meeting.

Labels: ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, ASSASSINATION, CAR ACCIDENTS, JULIUS MALEMA

posted by MrK @ 4:57 PM