There is no threat - Malema

Johannesburg – EFF leader Julius Malema insists there is no threat to ANN7 and New Age journalists, despite his statement that the party cannot guarantee their safety.

Instead, media houses misinterpreted what he said at a press briefing on Thursday, he told broadcaster eNCA.

"We want to advise the Gupta television and newspapers, they must no longer come to EFF events because they are not safe for them," he said.

He called for the Gupta family, which owned the two media outlets, to leave the country.

The party had never been violent, despite its waging “radical action”, Malema said on Friday.

“We are capable of conducting a peaceful protest and those who want to misinterpret our message they deliberately do that," he told the broadcaster.

"Members of the EFF are not drunkards who can just wake up in the morning and go and torch people's houses.

"They know what the leadership means and we came here because there was some deliberate misinterpretation from media houses, and we thought we needed to provide clarity."

The EFF was holding its annual plenum in Benoni on Friday and invited media for a photo opportunity. It was not clear if journalists from ANN7 or The New Age were welcome to attend.

The EFF's national, provincial, and regional leaders, and "ground forces" would discuss the elections, its

#PayBackTheMoney campaign, its bid to have the Guptas leave the country, the annual economic freedom march, land occupation, and Parliament.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.