He laid the criminal charges at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria following the statements made by Malema last week outside the state capture commission in Johannesburg.

In that address, Malema accused Gordhan of being corrupt, a dog of white monopoly capital and claimed Gordhan hated black people.

Addressing reporters outside the police station on Monday morning, Gordhan’s lawyer Tebogo Malatji said Gordhan would also lay a hate speech complaint with the Equality Court against Malema.

Gordhan also lodged similar charges against EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu

“Those statements were hurtful, intended to incite hatred and constituted hate speech,” Malatji said. ”

He said the minister will demand that Malema pay R150,000 for his statements. That amount, if granted, would be donated to charitable causes.

Addressing reporters outside court, Gordhan said ultimately society must know who was working for them and who was cheating them.

“We are in the process of cleaning society, both in the private sector and the public sector, of any kind of corrupt activity. Corruption does not hurt rich people, it hurts the poor,” Gordhan said.

“The determined defence of corruption and the corrupt, using personal attacks, racism and alleged hate speech is not acceptable and must be challenged.

“I have not responded until now to the absolute nonsensical and unsubstantiated attacks, but extending these attacks to my family and threatening harmony amongst the people of South Africa was a step too far. Enough is enough.”