The ANC said on Friday it believes the Freedom Front Plus's campaign against its youth league leader Julius Malema could lead to his assassination. "As the ANC, we draw the conclusion that it (the campaign) is meant to incite, instigate and mobilise some people to harm and even lead to the execution of the ANCYL president," said ANC spokesman Ishmael Mnisi in a statement. "The campaign is meant to incite the South African populace, particularly the Afrikaner community, against the president of the youth league."
The ANC said the FF Plus was putting Malema's "personal safety and security" in danger, especially considering that "right-wing elements" had been responsible for killing SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani in the early 1990s. "The ANC would not like a repeat of what happened to Chris Hani to happen to Julius Malema," said another ANC spokesman, Jackson Mthembu.
Meanwhile, Ernst Roets, national chairman of AfriForum Youth, a human rights organisation, said members of the ANCYL yesterday scattered a list of names of more than 1 600 victims of farm murders, handed to them by AfriForum Youth, in the street in front of their offices in Luthuli House, central Joburg, trampled on them and tore them up. AfriForum has drawn up a list of farm murders to show that Malema's recent singing of "shoot the boer" could have consequences. Malema sang it at his birthday celebration in Polokwane and at a student gathering in Joburg earlier this month. Roets said Malema had also threatened AfriForum Youth with death, saying they would be the next "Shell House massacre" - referring to the killing of 19 members of the IFP on March 28, 1994, who were shot while protesting outside the ANC's former Joburg offices.
Roets said he met Malema yesterday afternoon to finalise the logistical details of a protest action outside Luthuli House. During the discussion, Malema had said he would shoot at AfriForum Youth if the march went ahead. Instead, Roets said, a small number of representatives, comprising himself, Kallie Kriel, Steve Hofmeyr, Gerrie Pretorius and Sean Else, went to Luthuli House with the memorandum. "It is extremely perturbing that they actually trod on the names of the murder victims. It might just as well have been Robert Mugabe meeting us today..." Roets added.
Meanwhile, the FF Plus launched a Prosecute Malema campaign on Thursday, according to its parliamentary spokesman Anton Alberts. The campaign consists of the gathering of signatures via e-mail and through a website, where a protest letter can be signed. These will be presented to President Jacob Zuma. FF Plus chief whip Corne Mulder said it was ironic that the ANC had laid a charge against the party's campaign because they were worried about Malema's safety. "It shows no real understanding for the thousands of farmers who have been murdered."
SA Human Rights Commission chairman Lawrence Mushwana told the Saturday Star this week that the commission had not yet taken a decision regarding the complaints. He said he was compelled to await the outcome of the Equality Court case against Malema, brought last week by the Afrikanerbond. But constitutional expert Pierre de Vos, from the University of Cape Town, said the commission could continue with its own investigation and could even make pronouncements based on past precedents, like its pronouncement as hate speech three years ago against former ANCYL leader Peter Mokaba's chant "kill the farmer, kill the boer".
Source: IoL
Also see:
'Kill the Boer' slogan led to murders
Parties unite against Mokaba 'hate speech'
Mbeki speaks out against 'kill boer' slogan
Farmers hail Mbeki's 'kill the boer' stance
The "pronouncement" made by the South African Human Rights Commission was not made against Peter Mokaba. It was against the singing of "Kill the Boer" at the funderal of Peter Mokaba.
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