The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) put up a big screen outside the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to allow its supporters to watch the television coverage of the hate speech trial of its president, Julius Malema.
However, not many supporters were gathered outside the court before the start of the case, with some opting to stand under the shelter opposite the court building.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane were expected to take the stand on Tuesday, time permitting.
Malema was also expected to give testimony in the high court, sitting as the Equality Court.
Afrikaner interest group AfriForum has taken Malema to court, contending that his singing of a struggle song containing the lyrics “dubul’ ibhunu”, or “shoot the boer”, constitutes hate speech.
Bigwigs
On Monday, several ANC bigwigs were in the court to help defend Malema from a charge of hate speech.
Mantashe, Chabane, poet and struggle veteran Mongane Wally Serote, ANC member of Parliament Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom sat through proceedings, which entered their second week.
Madikizela-Mandela has been in court supporting Malema since the start of the case. She would not testify.
Hanekom left the stand on Monday, to give way to Serote. He said South Africans were still paying the price for apartheid today.
“Alexandra as it stands is a direct legacy of apartheid.” He added many struggle songs were composed during training during the armed struggle, and had been based on events in the South Africa at the time.
“It is African culture to sing,” Serote said, adding that Bantu education had “de-educated” people.
“We came together, understood something and sang together … you won’t find a composer … you are guided by everybody.”
Dialogue
Serote agreed with the view expressed by Hanekom last week, saying that a “national dialogue” on the matter was needed.
Hanekom said the song “was not a call to violence, but a reference to a period or a system where people took up arms”.
Serote said he believed the song was not linked to any farm killings.
Under cross-examination by AfriForum lawyer Martin Brassey, Serote said Malema was an ANC cadre who would abide by ANC policies because he had no choice.
Serote told the lawyer for farmers’ organisation Tau-SA, Roelof du Plessis, in his second cross-examination, that like the Voortrekker Monument, certain things — such as the song — needed to be preserved.
Du Plessis asked Serote why the ANC had not made any attempt to speak to people offended by the song.
“Why has it taken a high-profile court case to bring the ANC to say there must be dialogue?”
Serote said the ANC had done what it could.
After court adjourned on Monday, Madikizela-Mandela told supporters the court was “illiterate”.
“[ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe] is here to educate this illiterate court,” she said, after thanking supporters for braving the cold, outside the court in Johannesburg.
She said Malema was there not just as ANC Youth League leader, but as the ANC’s representative. Malema thanked the crowd and said he could not speak about what was said in court as it was “used inside”. He urged the crowd to remain disciplined “so we don’t give enemies anything to talk about”. — Sapa