Patriotic Alliance's Kenny Kunene Refuses to Apologise for "Irriatating Cockroach" Comment to Julius Malema

• Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema will not be getting an apology from Kenny Kunene
• The Patriotic Alliance deputy president says Malema's hate speech lawsuit will not stand up at the Equality Court
• Kunene added that Malema has a history of hurling insults at people, and his words were never regarded as hate speech

JOHANNESBURG - Patriotic Alliance's (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene is adamant that calling EFF leader Julius Malema an "irritating cockroach" does not amount to hate speech.

Kunene also stated that he has no intention of apologising to the Red Beret's frontman, who used to be his friend.

Malema sued Kunene following an interview on eNCA in November 2021, where he referred to Juju as "a little frog" and an "irritating cockroach". In addition to an apology, Malema also wants Kunene to pay him R1 million for making those remarks.

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Kunene addressed the media outside the Equality Court sitting in Johannesburg on Monday, 12 September and said he would not withdraw his statement.

"We are here to defend the case as I refuse to apologise because I believe that having said that is not hate speech within the confinements of the law. We are confident we will get a positive result," said Kunene.

Kunene added that they are prepared to appeal the ruling if he loses the case. The Patriotic Alliance deputy added that Malema has a history of calling people names, and Malema's words are rarely ever declared as hate speech.

Kunene further said that Malema is a "small boy" and has low self-esteem, reports TimesLIVE.

South Africans react

@Enghumbhini said:

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"And he can have Zille as a witness."

@AlphyzaAli said:

"True, he is one, a revolutionary Gucci twitter president wanna-be, the real flip-flopper."

@CT06389823 said:

"Malema called Zille a cockroach. This won’t stand in court."

@Majoro31350362 said:

"Around 1994 in Rwanda, people were referred to as cockroaches which resulted in a Civil War, the sentiment in which this statement was made is informed by the Xenophobic tendency of Kunene and his friends."

EFF leader Julius Malema drags Kenny Kunene to court over “irritating cockroach” comment, judgement reserved

Briefly News previously reported that the leader of the Red Berets, Julius Malema, took Kenny Kunene to the Johannesburg Equality Court on Monday, 12 September, because Kunene called Malema an irritating cockroach last year.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy chair said Malema was a cockroach during an eNCA interview last year when Kunene was responding to Malema calling PA leaders "Bhantinti" (convicts).

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Kunene said:

"When I am done I will deal with that little frog … [EFF leader] Julius Malema is an irritating cockroach that I must deal with publicly. When I meet him I want him to tell me I am a convict to my face."

Source: Briefly News