Don't feed the media, Malema urges
2011-04-15 22:12
Johannesburg - The media is the ANC's main opposition, the party’s youth league president Julius Malema told hundreds of supporters outside the South Gauteng High Court on Friday.
"The main opposition of the ANC is the media... do not feed the opposition," Malema told the cheering crowd, repeating comments made by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday.
He urged them not to give the media "negative material".
"You don't have to explain to anyone why you are here."
He told them the trial in which he faces hate speech charges was about "burning" the struggle song "shoot the boer" (awudubhule ibhunu) and was not just about an individual on trial.
Singing and machine guns
He thanked Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom for his testimony in court on Friday and told the crowd never to retreat.
"We are here to defend a revolutionary song," Malema said before singing "shoot to kill, kill our, shoot to kill, kill our... kiss the boer, the farmer, kiss the boer, the farmer".
He then mimicked the sound of a machine gun while making the sign of a gun with his hand and concluded with the word "attention", at which the crowd cheered.
He handed the microphone to ANC MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who said what hurt her the most was seeing young faces in the crowd, most of them born after 1976. It also hurt her to see the ANC on trial again.
"Your heritage is on trial," Madikizela-Mandela said.
"Tactics" were being used to derail what those in the struggle had fought for. She said this year she would be celebrating her 75th birthday, and was still talking to her grandchildren and great grandchildren about fighting for their rights.
"When I sleep forever we will realise what we have fought for."
AfriForum to lay more charges
Once Malema and Madikizela-Mandela had left a man in the crowd took the microphone and began singing "kill the boer, kill the farmer". ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to stop.
On Thursday civil rights group AfriForum said it intended laying another hate speech charge against Malema, and one against Shivambu, for their singing of the song outside the court this week. Shivambu denied they had done this.
Malema is on trial in the Equality Court on a charge of hate speech brought by AfriForum over his singing a struggle song containing the lyrics "shoot the boer" or "awudubhule ibhunu".
The trial was adjourned to Monday at 10:00.
- SAPA
