The alleged assault case against Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has been postponed to March 2020. Magistrate Liesl Davis has released the pair on a warning.
The politicians allegedly assaulted a senior police officer in April 2018 when they forced their way into the cemetery where late struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was buried. Malema, however, says the case brought against them is baseless.
“It’s a useless case; I don’t know what you are all doing here. She said to you it’s a common assault case which the public wants to know. It’s a waste of a court case. If you are stopped from burying your mother, how will you react? The NPA just decides to go the way they went because they are succumbing to the Boers agenda,” says Malema.
Lobby group AfriForum, claims that after the senior policeman laid a charge, the case did not receive the necessary attention. Only after the group’s private prosecution unit made enquiries was the matter prioritised.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel says, “We are happy that the trial date has been set for the 10th of March. It brings clarity it also sends out a message to all South Africans that there is equality before the law. Unfortunately sometimes you need pressure from organisations like AfriForum to get equality before the law. Unfortunately, this has taken 19 months despite the fact that we have video footage of the incident.
But the NPA has downplayed AfriForum’s claims.
NPA regional communications manager Phindi Louw-Mjonondwana says, “We have to come up clear as the NPA on this matter to say that the investigations into this matter had not concluded. There were still on-going investigations hence the matter could not be enrolled. Once the investigations were concluded, the NPA could place the matter on the roll. It is not a matter of it being placed on the roll because AfriForum has brought a complaint, that’s not how it works.”
The EFF leader says he’ll be happy to take the fall for fighting to witness the burial of struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. But has at the same time dismissed AfriForum’s intentions.
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