Skip to main content * English * Français ![\\"Home\\"](\\"/themes/custom/africacheck/images/logo.svg\\"/) ## Main navigation * Fact-checks * Reports * Factsheets * Guides * Spot Checks * Blog * Meta programme fact-checks * Republish our work * Who we are * Our team * Our impact * How we are funded * Partners * Get in touch * What we do * Info Finder * African Fact-Checking Awards * Corrections * Fact-checking research * Training * Media Literacy * Educator knowledge hub * How we fact-check * Corrections policy * Code of principles * How we rate claims * Get Involved * Donate * Submit a claim to fact-check * Partner with us * Join our team * Fact-checking tips * Quizzes Donate Back to Africa Check No evidence South African businessman Patrice Motsepe offered EFF leader Julius Malema R4 billion to quit politics ![](\\"/sites/default/files/styles/hero_lg/public/2019/05/motsepe.png?h=2240b8e9&itok=8WKSIrS7\\"/) # No evidence South African businessman Patrice Motsepe offered EFF leader Julius Malema R4 billion to quit politics Published on 31 May 2019 FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmailShare FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedInShare Junk news site Xpouzar.com is at it again. An article on its website, created with the “sole purpose of exposing the dirt and dark secrets of all South African big names” now claims that Patrice Motsepe offered Julius Malema R4 billion to “quit politics”.![\\"\\"](\\"/sites/default/files/motsepe.png\\")Motsepe is a South African businessman and billionaire. He is also the brother-in-law of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Why would Motsepe offer Malema, leader of the country’s second official opposition, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), R4 billion to quit politics?The article lays out a tangled mix of answers, including but not limited to: * Motsepe is gradually becoming political. * Motsepe originally offered Malema R2 billion to “go back” to the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party. * Malema refused the offer, even though Motsepe has “serious dirt” on him. * Ramaphosa and Motsepe predicted that the ANC would lose up to three provinces in the 8 May 2019 election. * ANC Youth League numbers are dropping with many members joining the EFF. The article offers no evidence for any of the claims it makes. And trying to make sense of the argument is complicated further by the poor spelling and grammar.The claim has not been reported in any mainstream media, a Google search shows. Malema has accused Motsepe of being a state capture threat, but has never said the businessman tried to buy him off. If Motsepe had made such an offer, Malema in all likelihood would have made it public.Even without Media Monitoring Africa’s Know News tool, which alerts readers to dodgy sites and cautions them against sharing, this article has many tell-tale signs of “fake news”. \- Africa Check (31/05/19) ### Republish our content for free We believe that everyone needs the facts. You can republish the text of this article free of charge, both online and in print. However, we ask that you pay attention to these simple guidelines. In a nutshell: 1\. Do not include images, as in most cases we do not own the copyright. 2\. Please do not edit the article. 3\. Make sure you credit \"Africa Check\" in the byline and don\'t forget to mention that the article was originally published on africacheck.org. 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South African businessman Patrice Motsepe offered EFF leader Julius Malema R4 billion to quit politics