EFF hits back at AfriForum over Malema’s crimen injuria prosecution
The EFF has hit back at AfriForum over its pursuit of a crimen injuria prosecution against Julius Malema, defending his comments about the CweCwe case as political outrage and questioning the handling of the investigation.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has strongly defended its leader Julius Malema against a crimen injuria prosecution over comments he made about former Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse, following the case of a seven-year-old girl allegedly raped. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has decided to prosecute Malema for the comments he made, which AfriForum, a private prosecution unit, claims falsely linked Pieterse to the alleged rape.
Malema's party asserts that his remarks were made as a political response to the case and as an outcry for a child's dignity and rights, rather than a legal declaration. The EFF argues that Pieterse was the only person who refused to provide a voluntary DNA sample during the investigation, which raises questions about his potential connection to the crime.
AfriForum, however, claims that Malema's statements damaged Pieterse's dignity and that the mere absence of direct references to Pieterse does not exempt the remarks from being understood as referring to him.
The EFF has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against AfriForum and its spokesperson Barry Bateman for allegedly prioritizing the rights of an adult over those of the child. The EFF maintains that the case is a broader issue concerning the protection of children and access to justice, and they will continue to defend the rights of children in cases involving allegations of abuse.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
