Why BLF and not Malema? Andile Mngxitama cries bias over hate speech verdict

Black First Land First leader Andile Mngxitama has vowed that his party will appeal against Monday's Equality Court verdict that found its "land or death" slogan to be tantamount to hate speech.

The court also ordered the party to withdraw the slogan from its regalia, and to apologise.

Mngxitama said the BLF would appeal because there was legal precedence, citing a Human Rights Commission finding that absolved Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema of hate speech.

The commission found that Malema's comment that the EFF was "not calling for the slaughter of white people, at least not for now" did not amount to hate speech.

"Then there was the Constitutional Court, which said the song 'Umama uyajabula mangishaya amabhunu' is protected, and that is the highest court in the land. So we are not worried at all," Mngxitama said.

"We will appeal and win because this is a clear bias against the BLF, because we are the only genuine voice of black people. That ruling that our slogan is hate speech is a nonsensical ruling. We are not going to apologise within 30 days as instructed by the court, but we will instead appeal," he said.

According to Mngxitama, the finding against his party was part of an agenda to stand in its way and keep it from getting into parliament after it contests the general elections on Wednesday.

Mngxitama said that as long as the BLF remained on the ballot, "it is victory for me because the real mission of all the racist complaints against us was to see us blocked from participating in these elections".