It’s not true Malema was targeted

The outrage over the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) having the temerity to charge Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema had his supporters drowning in a bloodbath of whataboutism last week.

On 7 September, the NSPCA noted in a press release it had seen a video which showed “Malema attempting to paralyse a cow by pithing it (that is, attempting to pierce or sever the spinal cord of the animal to kill or immobilise it)”.

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“It is evident from the video that Mr Malema uses two small knives and inflicts more than 11 stabs and over 60 instances of twisting the knife into the fully conscious animal’s poll,” the NSPCA said.

“Mr Malema repeatedly inflicted pain and caused unnecessary suffering to the animal, and it is evident that the animal endured significant distress.”

The darling enfant terrible of South African politics, people came rushing in to defend him against whiteness (the NSPCA) and its attacks on culture and tradition.

To the Defenders of Malemaverse, I have some bad news for you. It’s not true Malema was targeted, it’s not true the NSPCA has a political angle, and the NSPCA is not getting in the way of cultural practice by going after one individual who stabbed an animal 11 times and then roots and twists the knife nearly endlessly trying to kill the animal.

ALSO READ: ‘Inflicting pain and unnecessary suffering’ – NSPCA charges Malema over cow slaughter

Cattle, goats and sheep are slaughtered in cultural practices daily. Life and death are not pretty, and there is no doubt mistakes happen. But there cannot be a person of national influence stabbing an animal and twisting the knife in the wounds in a video viewed hundreds of times saying this is culturally correct. It cannot be.

Why not have the person who is experienced at this do it? The only political angle here is when Malema made it so as the leader of the EFF when he got in the way of a cultural practice by taking it away from the pithing expert.

Animal mutilation should not and cannot be accepted by anyone, especially when a politician uses it for political gain.

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Culture is so important, it defines people, gives them roots and grounding. Traditions, within culture, should change to stay with the times.

The NSPCA isn’t attacking culture but the tradition of people across the spectrum who hurt animals. And if you check its news page, it goes after everyone it can, who hurts or mistreats animals.

On 25 August, a pitbull breeder in Roodepoort, Gershwin Perreira, was found guilty on 59 counts of animal cruelty and handed a sentence of R8 000 or four years of imprisonment, with half of the sentence suspended for five years, provided the accused does not commit further crimes against animals, during the period of suspension.

Then, on 30 August, Gert Claasen from the Free State was fined R4 000 or 12 months’ imprisonment, which sentence was wholly suspended for five years for neglecting captive lions on his farm.

There is so much more, and anyone who thinks the NSPCA has a political agenda, then volunteer and see what it really does. If you have the stomach.

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Remember when people were slaughtering cows in the suburbs and all the white people were screaming about it? The NSPCA has repeatedly said it would help people who were doing the slaughtering if they wanted.

People like to forget that part.