AfriForum will seek an urgent high court interdict to stop African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema from singing the words “Awudubule (i)bhunu” (kill the boer), unless he apologises in writing before 4pm on Friday.
In a statement on Wednesday, the civil rights group said it had sent the ANCYL a lawyer’s letter demanding that he apologise for repeatedly singing a struggle song that it claimed “describes farmers and whites as dogs, cowards, robbers and rapists, and includes a call to shoot farmers and whites”.
In the letter, AfriForum also asked that Malema make a written undertaking to stop singing the song.
Malema sang the song at his birthday celebration in Polokwane on March 4, at a student gathering at the University of Johannesburg on March 9 and again on Monday at a Human Rights Day rally.
Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Mulder laid a criminal charge against Malema with the police after the university incident.
In a recording of the song sung at the university, Malema is heard singing the words “Ayesaba amagwala ayadidizela” (cowards are afraid and confused) with people in the background chanting “shoot, shoot, shoot with a gun”.
Instead of the traditional words “shoot the coward”, Malema then sings the lyrics “shoot the boer”.
AfriForum submitted a complaint to the Johannesburg Equality Court on March 12.
The (FF+) and the Afrikanerbond followed suit, making complaints of their own to the Equality Court and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Despite the complaints, Malema and the ANCYL were still singing the song at public gatherings, “even after notice has been served to Malema of this legal process”, AfriForum said in a statement on Wednesday.
Serious matter
The disregard Malema was demonstrating for legal processes was a serious matter that had to be firmly addressed, said AfriForum’s legal representative, Willie Spies.
The Democratic Alliance indicated on Wednesday that it planned to lay 351 complaints against Malema with the SAHRC for singing “shoot the boers”.
The SAHRC determined in 2003, that the song “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” is hate speech.
The Equality Court found Malema guilty of hate speech and harassment last Monday over comments he made about President Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser. He intends appealing against the finding.
The FF+ last week launched a “Prosecute Malema” campaign consisting of a protest letter to be signed via email or a website and presented to President Jacob Zuma in an attempt to pressurise the ANC into taking disciplinary steps against the youth leader.
This week, AfriForum Youth called on its members to pray for Malema and outlined a “10-point plan” against him after one of his fans made a threat on a social networking site to rape and burn whites. — Sapa