"He calls us bandits, criminals and that is defamatory. Everyone who irritates him, I refer to him as an irritant. "A cockroach has been an irritant my entire childhood. "He is a sissy boy and a cry baby who misuses the court," he said. He behaves like a bully from primary school who bullies everyone, and four years later one pupil slaps him, and he runs to the headmaster." It is rich coming from him claiming that I insulted him. I was responding to insults he hurled at me." Some of them are old enough to be his great-grandparents. "My standpoint is that Malema has insulted young and old people in the country. In the court papers, Malema contends that Kunene calling him a cockroach should be seen in the context of the Rwandan genocide, when Hutus took to using the term for Tutsi minorities.Ī fuming Kunene confirmed receiving notice of the application, but was adamant that he would not apologise. Julius is just an irritating cockroach that I must now deal with publicly," Kunene said. "Once I am done, I will then deal with this little frog. He said he would "deal" with Malema and threatened to expose him. Kunene was interviewed by eNCA at the time of the municipal elections last year to discuss coalitions after the PA emerged as kingmakers in some municipalities, putting them in a position to negotiate for top positions in municipalities. He has argued that the comment should be seen as hate speech as defined by the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act.
where reconciliation is not top of the agenda.Malema is demanding that Kunene issue an unconditional public apology and retract the statement. Kriel said, showed the power of “another A.N.C. is formally opposed to racial distinctions and seeks a non-racial society. Malema’s behavior polarized South Africa’s racial groups, once separated by law under apartheid.Īccording to its charter, the A.N.C. But Kallie Kriel, the head of an Afrikaans civil right group, said it showed that Mr. The Youth League secretary general, Sindiso Magaqa, said the verdict effectively outlawed commemorations of the struggle that ended apartheid. The reactions to the ruling by Judge Lamont showed the breadth of the racial gap. Zuma’s bid next year for a second term as party leader - a position that, if secured, would automatically make him the favored presidential candidate in elections in 2014. Malema is not generally seen as a direct challenger for the party leadership, the Youth League could disrupt Mr. Malema, who helped President Zuma win a power struggle within the party in 2007, is now at odds with him. The inquiry is politically charged because Mr. opened a formal inquiry to determine whether the youth leader had brought the party into disrepute and sowed division by advocating the overthrow of the government in neighboring Botswana. The pro-Malema crowd was smaller than a gathering of young people who fought with the police last month when the A.N.C. Judge Lamont determined that while songs like “Shoot the Boer” were part of the fight against white minority rule, they constituted hate speech as South Africa seeks to heal its racial past. Malema was not in court to hear the verdict, about 100 of his followers on the streets outside the court in central Johannesburg broke into the song, directly challenging the ruling. This new approach to each other must be fostered.” “The enemy has become the friend, the brother.