NEWS & ANALYSIS

ANC must open case against AK-47 toting guards - Julius Malema

EFF leader also says he will attend Magaqa's funeral next Saturday whether the ANC likes it or not

ANC must open a case against 2 eThekwini bodyguards caught on video cocking AK-47 - Malema

Umzimkhulu – If the ANC is serious about dealing with political killings in KwaZulu-Natal it should open a criminal case against the bodyguards of the party's eThekwini regional secretary Bheki Ntuli, EFF leader Julius Malema said on Friday.

"We just saw two bodyguards of the ANC secretary in eThekwini, you know, playing with guns in an environment which is highly [affected by political killings], we cannot afford that. If the ANC is serious about dealing with people who are killing people here, the first step will be to open a case against those ones who are caught red-handed on a video playing with firearms," he said.

In the video the two well-dressed bodyguards can be seen cocking and wielding 9mm pistols and an AK-47.

They can be heard saying: "That dog is going to die."

Speaking to eNCA on Friday from Umzimkhulu, Malema said the EFF was worried about political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.

"All political parties and leaders must make sure that they take action against those who are perpetuating the killings of our people here in KZN," he said.

Malema to attend funeral whether ANC 'likes it or not'

Malema visited the home of former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa on Friday.

Magaqa, a ward councillor in Umzimkhulu in southern KwaZulu-Natal, died at a Durban hospital on Monday from gunshot wounds he sustained in a suspected assassination on July 13.

Magaqa, 35, was part of the ANCYL top six in 2011 when Malema was still its president.

He was a ward councillor and executive committee member at the Umzimkhulu municipality at the time of his shooting.

Malema said he would attend Magaqa's funeral next Saturday whether the ANC likes it or not.

"It's not the funeral of the ANC, we are not burying the ANC. We are coming to bury Magaqa on Saturday whether someone likes it or not. Magaqa wanted me to be here and his family wants me to be here," he said.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said the bodyguards have been suspended pending an investigation.

"I can confirm that we have asked the private security company to withdraw them from his (Ntuli) detail," ANC spokesperson Mhlaba Memela told News24 on Thursday.

News24