Zulu king charged with hate speech

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini is facing a charge of hate speech and is accused of violating human rights by Western Cape organiser of the South African National Defence Union Tim Flack.

This comes after the king made what many have called xenophobic comments in a speech he delivered to the Pongola community last month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWXHAfqb4pU&feature=youtu.be

His comments have been linked by some to the current wave of xenophobic violence in the greater eThekwini region, which started soon after he made the comments.

The violence , which has left five people dead and thousands displaced, is believed to have been sparked by the king’s calls for foreigners to leave the country, a claim the provincial government has dismissed.

Tim Flack, famously booted out of a Parliament committee meeting in 2013 for wearing shorts, said he decided to take action after noticing complaints on social media made against Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba regarding attacks on foreign nationals.

eThekwini municipality spokesman Tozi Mthethwa said on Wednesday that 74 people had been arrested in connection with the xenophobic attacks on charges of murder, public violence, business robbery, theft and possessing firearms.