Shoot the Boer appeal canned

2012-10-31 11:26

Julius Malema. Picture: Leon Sadiki/City Press

Charl du Plessis, City Press

Johannesburg - Former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, the ANC and AfriForum have buried the hatchet in their bitter feud over the struggle song, Shoot the Boer.

City Press understands that the parties reached an 11th-hour settlement before the appeal case was due to be argued in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein on Thursday.

Last year, the struggle song Dubul’ iBhunu (Shoot the Boer) was declared hate speech by Judge Colin Lamont in the South Gauteng High Court, sitting as the Equality Court.

The matter went to court after AfriForum laid a complaint over Malema who repeatedly sang the song at official ANC Youth League events.

In a judgment that was widely criticised for being too broad, Lamont found that the words of the song were “derogatory, dehumanising and hurtful”.

Lamont interdicted all members of the ANC from singing the song in public or at private functions.

The judgment sparked protest and criticism from ANC members, with the party vowing to take the battle for the right to sing the song all the way to the Constitutional Court.

AfriForum promised to fight the ANC every step of the way.

But City Press has reliably learnt that the parties to the dispute finally reached an out-of-court settlement on Tuesday.

Details of the settlement were due to be announced at a joint press conference between the ANC, AfriForum and agricultural union Tau SA - also a party to the case - later on Wednesday.

The ANC will likely withdraw the appeal in the SCA on Thursday.

- City Press