The Freedom Front Plus (VF+) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have welcomed the legal setback for Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema.
The Cape Town Equality Court found Malema guilty of hate speech over comments he made in 2022. However, the EFF plans to challenge the ruling, saying it is a grave distortion of history, philosophy and political speech.
The case stemmed from complaints lodged by the Human Rights Commission over an incident at Brackenfell High School. This was when parents clashed with EFF members in 2020.
EFF DETERMINED TO FIGHT BACK
At the time, Malema told EFF members that they should “never be scared to kill” and that “revolution demands killing.” He also said there is a war between white supremacy and black consciousness, and that racism is violence, which can only be ended by violence.
However, the Red Berets believe the ruling is fundamentally flawed and that Malema’s speech was misread. In a statement, the EFF said the interpretation strips the speech of its political, historical, and ideological context. Adding that the ruling reduced a revolutionary critique to criminality.
“To criminalise this language is to criminalise black consciousness and silence any radical critique of white supremacy,” said the party.
PARTIES WELCOME RULING AGAINST MALEMA
VF+ welcomed the ruling, saying it was “high time” that Malema was brought to book for his remarks.
In a statement, the party’s leader, Dr Corné Mulder, said: “Malema clearly started to think that he is untouchable and can insult, threaten and slander as he pleases with impunity – particularly after the Appeal Court ruling.”
Meanwhile, the DA said the ruling was a victory for the law, the Constitution and South Africans. The party said it demonstrates that the country’s institutions are capable of taking action against political leaders to protect South Africans.
“The DA will be exploring further action that can be taken to enforce serious consequences against the hate speech of Julius Malema on the back of this groundbreaking judgement,” the party shared.
DO YOU THINK THE EFF WILL OVERTURN THE COURT’S RULING?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
