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The Enigmatic Payday: A Former Malema Associate’s Claim of Multi‑Million Rands

A former bodyguard of the Economic Freedom Fighters’ leader says he is owed more than R20 million after a controversial court case, while the broader story of a mysterious “toilet tenders” payday in Ekurhuleni remains unverified.

Author
Rig Wire
Date
16 Aug 2026
Read
2 min
A fiery leader and his inner circle

Julius Sello Malema, the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was previously president of the African National Congress Youth League before founding the EFF in 2013.

Ekurhuleni – the backdrop of the alleged windfall

The city at the centre of the alleged payday is Ekurhuleni, a sprawling metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of Gauteng’s East Rand region. The municipality’s name, meaning “place of peace” in XiTsonga, masks a complex urban tapestry that includes the nation’s busiest airport, OR Tambo International, and a population where Zulu is the most spoken language at 28.6 percent. It is within this bustling jurisdiction that the rumored “toilet tenders” payment is said to have taken place.

A claim of R20 million in damages

According to a report on a South African news site, former EFF bodyguard Adriaan Snyman has filed a claim for more than R20 million in damages (unverified) after being acquitted of criminal charges related to a 2018 incident at the party’s fifth‑anniversary celebration. The claim, described by Snyman’s spokesperson Kirsten McLeod as a “malicious prosecution” case, alleges that the state failed to respond to a written demand for payment within a 30‑day period, prompting the threat of a default judgment. The report does not provide independent verification of the claim’s legal standing, and the details of any alleged “toilet tenders” payday remain uncorroborated in the public record.

Sources

- Julius Malema — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Malema - City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Ekurhuleni_Metropolitan_Municipality - Former Malema bodyguard sues state forR20 million... - The Informer — https://www.theinformer.africa/former-malema-bodyguard-sues-state-forr20-million-over-alleged-malicious-prosecution/

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The Enigmatic Payday: A Former Malema Associate’s Claim of Multi‑Million Rands — Democracy News Live