EFF Welcomes Kunene Hate Speech Ruling, Mzansi Baffled by the Hypocrisy: “Julius Always Calls People Names”

EFF Welcomes Kunene Hate Speech Ruling, Mzansi Baffled by the Hypocrisy: “Julius Always Calls People Names”

  • The EFF is celebrating victory after the Johannesburg High Court found Kenny Kunene guilty of hate speech against
  • The court ordered Kunene to issue a public apology to Malema and retract the “hateful” comments
  • South Africans think the ruling is ironic, given that Malema always has something to say about other people

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JOHANNESBURG - The EFF has welcomed the Johannesburg High Court's finding that Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene is guilty of hate speech against EFF leader Julius Malema.

EFF celebrates hate speech judgement against Kenny Kunene
The EFF has celebrated the Johannesburg High Court for its hate speech judgement against PA deputy president Kenny Kunene. Image: Rajesh JANTILAL/Getty & @fscentralnews/Twitter
Source: UGC

Kunene landed in hot water when he called Malema a "frog" and a "cockroach" during a televised interview in 2018.

In a statement posted on the party's Twitter feed, the EFF celebrated the court's ruling, claiming it was the “correct and logical finding.”

The party also compared the PA deputy president's comments to those made against the Jewish community during the Holocaust and colonisers' rationalisation of the subjugation of African people.

Read also

Kenny Kunene refuses to accept hate speech verdict for calling Julius Malema a cockroach, SA in stitches

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According to TimesLIVE, the court has ordered Kunene to publicly apologise to the EFF leader and retract the “hateful” comments he made against Malema.

South Africans find the high court's ruling highly questionable, given that Malema himself has said distasteful things about others in the past.

Citizens call EFF out for its hypocritical response to the High Court ruling

South Africans flooded the EFF's celebratory tweet with comments about how the party is essentially the pot calling the kettle black.

Here's what people said:

@katemmanoko commented:

"Julius always calls people names. What a hypocrite."

@BotleMicrogreen asked:

"What’s going to happen if all the people that Malema insulted take him to court though?"

@Zama30162777 questioned:

"And him singing kill the Boers is not hate speech? Our courts leave much to be desired."

Read also

Mzansi says EFF's national shutdown is too far away, calls for urgent intevention in country’s challenges

@vhakondie added:

"Very petty for a party with a leader that is always in court on hate speech."

@Agent2053 claimed:

"How ironic."

@DofSoil cautioned:

"Wait until this case is used as precedent against you as you have called people various names."

Julius Malema and bodyguard’s gun case postponed to establish video authenticity, Mzansi annoyed

In another story, Briefly News reported that the leader of the EFF Julius Malema and his bodyguard Adriaan Snyman had the case against them postponed to Tuesday, 31 January.

The pair are facing charges of contravening the Firearms Control Act after they were allegedly caught on camera firing an automatic rifle at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London. They were at the EFF’s fifth birthday celebrations in 2018 when the incident is believed to have occurred.

In the clip, Malema can be seen allegedly firing the rifle before handing it over to Snyman. However, defence lawyers Laurence Hordes and Shane Matthews believe the video should not be used as evidence, according to News24.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lerato Mutsila avatar

Lerato Mutsila (Current affairs editor) Lerato Mutsila is a journalist with 3 years of experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Pearson Institute of Higher Education in 2020, majoring in broadcast journalism, political science and communication. Lerato joined the Briefly News current affairs desk in August 2022. Mutsila is also a fellow of the 2021/2022 Young African Journalists Acceleration programme, which trained African journalists in climate journalism. You can contact Lerato at lerato.mutsila@breifly.co.za