Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has hit back at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) after the Commission labelled statements he made during a rally in October as “constituting incitement of violence” and “hate speech”.
The Commission released a statement saying that they received various complaints relating to statements made by Malema, as well as posters/banners displayed by the EFF at the meeting of the party’s Provincial People’s Assembly in the Western Cape on October 16, 2022.
“The Commission is of the view that certain parts of Mr Malema’s speech and some of the posters/banners displayed at the event as set out above prima facie, individually and collectively, constitute incitement of violence, hate speech and possibly other transgressions of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 4 of 2000 (“the PEPUDA”),” the Commission said.
In a statement released by the EFF, the party highlighted that they “noted” the advisory issued by the commission, saying that it “incorrectly and ignorantly labels these comments as incitements to violence and hate speech, revealing a failure of appreciating political commentary in its metaphorical, literary and historical sense.”
