HRC must investigate Julius Malema’s incitement to grab land, FF Plus says

8 July 2016

The FF Plus has asked the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to investigate a complaint of the FF Plus against Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, after he had amongst others, incited people to grab land illegally from white people and occupy the land, Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus’ parliamentary spokesperson on Human Rights, says.

A request was also made that this investigation is added to the investigation of president Jacob Zuma, which the HRC has been dragging out since January of last year.

The FF Plus has also submitted a complaint to the HRC against Palesa Sotjifa who encouraged the EFF on Twitter to murder white people. The HRC was also asked to reveal why it had neglected to investigate Sotjifa for possible racism while other cases were investigated and action was taken against individuals without formal complaints having been submitted.

Adv. Alberts says the complaint against Malema relates to comments which he made on 26 June of this year in New Castle, KwaZulu-Natal. He apparently said that whites do not have any right to land in South Africa and that black people should occupy it and take ownership of white people’s land.

According to Adv. Alberts, it is an extreme form of incitement to violence which could cause great racial friction as unlawful occupation would inevitably lead to violence.

“Such comments is divisive and has the potential of causing a bloodbath if people heed this call in large numbers.

“It is, therefore, amazing that the HRC do not investigate such comments of its own volition, but in other cases act quickly and fine people heavily.

“The FF Plus has been asking the HRC to investigate complaints of possible hate speech and incitement to violence against Malema, president Zuma and their supporters since before the elections in 2014. To date, there has been no action taken.

“After President Zuma’s comments in January of last year about Jan van Riebeeck, the FF Plus asked the HRC to investigate the president, and the commission requested the president to respond to the complaint before a specified date last year. The president merely ignored the request, and the HRC did nothing about it.

“Only after the FF Plus had seriously taken the HRC on about its reluctance to investigate certain individuals, amongst others in terms of the PAI Act, the investigation against the president was taken up again. The HRC has to realise that it is there to serve the people without fear or favour.

“The FF Plus is of the opinion that the HRC has created the impression through its actions to date that the commission is not doing its duty, and the party will continue to put pressure on the commission to enforce its mandate properly,” Adv. Alberts says.

Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Human Rights, 8 July 2016