Parliament must act against Malema's incitement of violence

26 April 2016

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip condemns in the strongest terms EFF leader Julius Malema's reckless utterances during an Al Jazeera interview, in which he agitated for violence and threatened to overthrow a democratically elected government through "a barrel of a gun."

 Malema's utterances are irresponsible, dangerous and illustrative of an immature politician with no comprehension of the consequence of his public conduct. Malema's recent utterances and countless other questionable conduct, both inside and outside of Parliament, bear testament to the simple fact that he has no regard for the Constitution and the oath he took when he became a Member of Parliament. The threat to incite public violence and to overthrow a democratically elected government, as we have seen in certain military dictatorships, does not only represent a serious danger to our Constitution but to the people of this country. South Africans cannot afford to take Malema's threats lightly, given the country's tragic past of political violence and bloodshed. The ANC, working together with the people of South Africa, has worked very hard to achieve a peaceful and democratic political transition and thus those who make thoughtless public utterances that threaten our peace and hard- fought constitutional democracy must be shunned and isolated.

By inciting violence and threatening to overthrow the state through unconstitutional means, Malema has not only violated his oath of office but has assaulted the very Constitution he has recently waxed lyrical regarding his loyalty to it. South Africans must be careful of demagogues who wave the Constitution today but threaten violent and unconstitutional regime change the next day.

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip will therefore ask the parliamentary ethics committee to investigate his utterances and take appropriate action.

Issued by Moloto Mothapo, Office of The ANC Chief Whip, 26 April 2016