Parties welcome Malema conviction

2010-03-15 16:22

Johannesburg - Opposition parties on Monday welcomed a ruling that found ANCYL leader Julius Malema guilty of hate speech and harassment, saying his conviction should be a "wake-up call" to the ruling party.

"It is time the ANC took action and brought Malema to book. Malema, for his part, should unconditionally apologise for the damage he is causing," the Democratic Alliance Youth said in a statement.

"Not only is he offending women, but he is inciting violence with his 'kill the boers, they are rapists' chants. The ANC has condoned his behaviour repeatedly, which says a great deal about the state of that party."

Apology by force

The DA Youth said the ANC should "force" its youth league leader to apologise.

"This Equality Court judgment should be a wake-up call for the ANC."

The Congress of the People said it was "high time that Julius Malema was reigned in".

"This judgement shows that even if his paymasters and the executive aren't prepared to reign in their noisemaker-in-chief, the courts will," the party said in a statement.

"However, Cope wonders whether Mr Malema is able to eat humble pie and offer a sincere public apology as ordered by the court."

The United Democratic Movement said Malema's statement was not only offensive to women, but also to men with integrity and respect for women.

"Making cruel, rude and inflammatory statements does not serve a constructive purpose; it's just harmful noise. It is time for the ANC to call this man to order," a UDM statement read.

Christian party overjoyed

The Christian Democratic Party was "overjoyed" with the ruling against Malema and hoped it would bring Malema to also apologise for the "kill the boers, they are rapists" song.

"We believe that Malema must learn that even he, President [Jacob] Zuma's appointed crown prince, cannot say what he wants to."

Magistrate Colleen Collis convicted Malema in the Johannesburg Equality Court on Monday on hate speech and harassment for saying that Zuma's rape accuser had a "nice time".

Malema's lawyer, Tumi Mokwena, has since announced that he would appeal the ruling.
 

- SAPA