'That will be nice': Malema responds to AfriForum's new hate speech case against him

EFF leader Julius Malema has seemingly responded to AfriForum's new charges of hate speech against him and his party with light enthusiasm.

The lobby group announced on Thursday that it submitted charges to the Equality Court against Malema for his members allegedly singing “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” in Senekal, Free State.

The charges were filed at the Johannesburg high court, which sits as the Equality Court, for the party's members and leadership singing the controversial song outside the Senekal magistrate’s court in October. This was during the bail hearing of suspects accused of murdering farm manager Brendin Horner.

Responding to a news report that suggested advocate Gerrie Nel may lead AfriForum's  case, Malema said he was excited at the opportunity to lock horns.

The charge also deals with “the violent nature of the EFF” and the recent remarks by the EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi during the protest, said AfriForum's head of policy and action Ernst Roets.

“With the EFF and Malema’s continuous hate speech and Malema’s refusal to stop his supporters, it is AfriForum’s role as a civil rights organisation, with a particular focus on the protection of minority rights, to take the necessary steps and ensure an end is put to it,” he said.

This is not the first time the lobby group will be taking Malema and the EFF to court for singing songs that incite violence.

In 2010, the group applied to the Equality Court against Malema in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act. 

After a successful complaint, an order was granted in 2011 and declared that the words “awudubula ibhunu (shoot the boer)” and “dubula amabhunu baya raypha (shoot the rapist/thieves)” undermined people’s dignity and were discriminatory and harmful. Malema was interdicted from singing the song at any public or private meeting held by or conducted by him.

Malema and AfriForum settled an agreement through a mediation process after an appeal was launched with the Supreme Court of Appeal.

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