Malema case of 'national interest'
2010-09-09 16:42
Johannesburg - AfriForum's hate-speech case against ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was a "matter of national interest" and should not be settled through mediation, the organisation said in court papers on Monday.
AfriForum filed the papers in the Equality Court in Johannesburg.
The case is in response to Malema's singing of the lyrics, "shoot the boer".
"The complainant’s view is that the matter is one of national interest and that a mere inter-party mediation process could have the inherent limitation of failing to address concerns which, have by now become part of a national public debate," AfriForum said in its court application.
"Since the alleged hate speech was uttered and debated in the public domain, the dispute at hand is one that goes beyond a mere private dispute between the litigating parties."
The Vereeniging van Regslui vir Afrikaans (association of lawyers for Afrikaans) and the Freedom of Expression Institute are named in the application as amicus curiae (friends of the court).
AfriForum has asked the court to set a deadline of October 1 for Malema and the ANC to respond in court to the application.
- SAPA