EFF leader Julius Malema is no stranger to controversy and is known for inflammatory comments on race.
On Wednesday, the SA Human Rights Commission found that his utterances were "problematic" but did not legally amount to hate speech.
"We came to the conclusion that while the acts forming the subject of the complaints may be offensive, they do not meet the legal threshold to qualify as hate speech," said commission chairperson advocate Bongani Majola.
Here are the four things said by Malema that upset people enough for them to lodge complaints with the commission.
1. At the Newcastle magistrate’s court after the postponement of a court case against him in November 2016:
"They found peaceful Africans here. They killed them. They slaughtered them like animals. We are not calling for the slaughtering of white people - at least for now. What we are calling for is the peaceful occupation of the land and we don't owe anyone an apology for that."
The commission found that Malema did not violate the rights of white people in this instance.
2. At the party’s 4th anniversary celebrations held in Durban on July 29 2017:
"Here in Durban, here in KZN, everything strategic is given to Indian families. Every big tender is given to Indian families. They are the ones who own everything strategic in KZN. We don't have a problem, we are saying: Share with our people.
"We also want to call upon our fellow Indians here in Natal to respect Africans. They are ill-treating them. We don’t want that to continue here in Natal."
The commission found that this statement did not constitute hate speech. "It does not promote [a] severe psychological impact to the Indian community," said the commission's Shanelle van der Berg.
3. On Human Rights Day in 2018:
Malema urged his supporters to sing "Kiss the boer" which, the commission ruled, did not amount to hate speech.
4. At the EFF's Youth Day commemoration at Matlosana stadium in Klerksdorp, North West, in 2018:
"Indians had all sorts of resources Africans didn’t have, coloureds as well. The majority of Indians are racist. I’m not saying all, I’m saying a majority."
A fifth complaint was lodged against the party's secretary-general, Godrich Gardee, for describing DA leader Mmusi Maimane as a garden boy in a post on social media.
The original tweet has since been deleted.
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