Judgment soon in 'shoot the boer' case
2011-09-05 22:17
Johannesburg - Judgment in the "shoot the boer" hate speech trial of ANC Youth League president Julius Malema will be handed down next week, AfriForum said on Monday.
The date could not be confirmed by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, but the civil rights group said it had been told by Judge Collin Lamont's assistant that the hearing would begin at 09:30 on Monday.
AfriForum Youth opened a civil case against Malema in the Equality Court after he sang the words "dubhula ibhunu", which translate to "shoot the boer", at a number of ANCYL gatherings.
It believed the words were threatening to minorities and a threat to the safety of Afrikaners and farmers.
The action was supported by Tau-SA and the Association of Lawyers for Afrikaans.
The trial featured a number of witnesses who testified on the relevance of the song as part of the dismantling of apartheid and its place in history.
During his own testimony, Malema spoke of the ANCYL's policy on nationalisation and on land reform.
Malema and five other ANCYL office-bearers have been brought before the ANC's disciplinary committee. Proceedings were postponed last week and resume on Sunday.
The subject of the hearing includes comments they made about supporting the opposition in Botswana to enable a change of government. The ANC has charged that the six have brought the party into disrepute.
The hate speech trial attracted large crowds of curious bystanders and Malema supporters in April.
Malema lost an earlier hate speech case in which he suggested the woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape had a "nice time".
Malema was fined R50 000.
- SAPA
