Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, EFF spokesperson, are finally being prosecuted in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court for the alleged assault of an SAPS colonel following continuous pressure from AfriForum. The hearing will continue tomorrow, 29 October 2020.
This follows after AfriForum announced in July 2019 that the organisation would approach the court with a mandamus application to force the NPA to make a decision on the prosecution of Malema in this case as well as two other pending cases against him.
Malema and Ndlozi allegedly assaulted a policeman in uniform in 2018 during an incident that was captured on CCTV. The senior policeman laid a complaint at the police, but the case received no attention from the police until AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit made an enquiry into it in January 2019.
The SAPS Colonel that was allegedly assaulted, Johannes Venter, testified during today’s court proceedings. He stated under oath that he told the accused that they could walk, but not drive into the cemetery because the vehicle was not part of the convoy that was screened. He then stated that Malema told him that he will not walk in but drive in and no white man will stop him. Venter stated that he was busy contacting the Venue Operation Centre to obtain the necessary authorisation for them to drive in, when Malema and Ndlozi jumped out of the car and pushed him repeatedly. He stated that they then drove into the cemetery without him or his superior giving the needed authorisation.
“AfriForum and its private prosecution unit will continue to monitor the case in the interest of justice. Nobody is above the law and AfriForum welcomes the fact that Malema finally got his day in court. Malema thought that he was beyond reproach, but thanks to the pressure that AfriForum applied on the NPA, he will finally be held accountable,” says Monique Taute, Head of Campaigns at AfriForum.
