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Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday said there was nothing to prevent ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema from having undeclared business interests because he is not an elected public official.
"I'm not sure Malema has no right to have business, on what basis I don't know," he told the parliamentary press gallery association.
"Malema is not a government employee, he's not a director of anything... He is Malema, he's a politician, he's the leader of the ANC Youth League, not an official in government. He does not even fall within the rules... that he should declare."
"There are no rules to people not in government that they should declare. I think that is stretching the debate to an area where it is going to be difficult to answer."
Zuma said he did not want to comment on Malema's business interests which allegedly earned him millions in the past two years because he did not know the details of it, nor should he.
"I don't know Malema's business. It is not my business to look up every individual (and see) what business does he do."
Sunday newspapers reported that Malema was the director of several companies that had won over R100m in government contracts and was leading a life of luxury.
Malema insisted this week he had done nothing wrong and challenged anybody who believed that a company associated with him obtained a state tender through irregular means, to lay a charge with the police.
Zuma said he had often stated that the way tenders were awarded should be reviewed to avoid corruption but refused to link the issue to Malema.
"I'm not saying people should just get tenders... have often said we need to change the way in which tenders are being done and we should look at that. There is a lot of corruption in that area."
- Sapa
