POLL | Is Malema opportunistic for seeking to help July unrest instigator Mdumiseni Zuma?

30 November 2023 - 12:26 By Rethabile Radebe
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EFF leader Julius Malema. File photo.
EFF leader Julius Malema. File photo.
Image: EFF media/Twitter

EFF leader Julius Malema has previously been called a flip-flopper, populist and dictator and some political commentators have said he is an opportunist who preys on unsuspecting South Africans desperate for change. 

His latest claim is he doesn't believe convicted July 2021 unrest instigator Mdumiseni Zuma had legal representation that guaranteed him a fair trial.

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“I don't think the so-called July 2021 instigator Mdumiseni Zuma got proper legal representation. I've asked our KZN provincial chair [Mongezi Twala] to get the facts and how we can be of assistance.”

Zuma was handed a 12-year jail sentence on Wednesday after he was found guilty by the Pietermaritzburg regional court of instigating unrest which led to the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg being torched during the July 2021 riots. 

More than 350 people died during the unrest, which mostly affected Gauteng and KZN.

The former security guard at the mall faced charges of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act, including inciting public violence and arson. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Malema is known for his tactics of instructing party members to protest at controversial venues. When these protests happen they often result in public disorder or violence.

Here are examples:

EFF members march to Senekal on Malema's instructions

EFF members clashed with white farmers outside the Senekal magistrate's court in October 2020 after Malema instructed them to go following the arrest of two men who allegedly killed farm manager Brendin Horner.

EFF members march to Clicks over Tresemmé scandal

Party members were instructed to march to Clicks shops  around the country where in some instances they stopped customers from entering shops.

EFF national shutdown calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa's resignation

EFF party members again took to the streets in April, calling for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa, an end to load-shedding, reducing the high unemployment rate and improving the economy.

The party warned businesses to close their doors on the day of the protest or risk looting, but it was business as usual for most. 

TimesLIVE


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