Fortune

Let me help you with a different perspective: Firstly, his tone is political, he is not only clarifying his position, he is also giving a political speech which is meant to engage with the crowd. Mkhwanazi never said he is concerned about Malema’s relationship with Khan, he said that he met Malema through Khan & this was not the first time that he said this. At the Madlanga commission he said that Khan had attended EFFs Gala dinner. Now let’s look at what the merits are here? The merits are that Malema and Khan know each other and that Mkhwanazi met Malema through Khan. Is that disputed by Malema in his speech? The answer is no, instead Malema supports this fact with additional information which completes the picture of how they met and for what reason they were meeting which is something that Mkhwanazi omitted. Secondly, Malema is being positioned as an influential politician meddling in the business of police both where Khan and Sibiya is concerned. So this can be viewed as blackmail because being positioned as somewhat “corrupt” or connected to the “corrupt” individuals is also a serious allegation. What does Malema do? He gives you context about his call with Sibiya so that you don’t cast aspersions. Nothing is pre-emptive because it is already something that has been put as fact both to the Ad Hoc committee and at the Madlanga commission. Malema therefore has right of reply. Malema is one of the very few politicians who absorbs pressure and faces it head-on with his truth. That’s exactly what he did today, he confronted facts and applied context, he didn’t deny a single thing that Mkhwanazi said but he corrected the manner in which it was put which has the effect of distorting the truth. Thirdly, Malema is asking that the EFF & himself not be drawn into battles that have nothing to do with them. He is trying to restore the dignity and confidence of the party and himself especially at this crucial time of campaigning for local government elections. It is important that things be clarified if they have the potential of damaging the EFFs image and his as the leader of the EFF. Lastly, Malema says Mkhwanazi must state these allegations in front of him so that they can engage on same. It is unfortunate that Malema was unavailable due to the death in his family when Mkhwanazi voiced this at the Ad hoc committee. So there is nothing gangster about saying you can engage in conversation with someone about something they have to say about you. Instead, that is a demonstration of your desire to be transparent.