Malema, Ndlozi common assault case postponed to June

The two EFF leaders appeared at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in November on charges of common assault.

Speaking outside court, Malema denied laying hands on the officer, saying that, had he done so, the situation would have turned out worse.

“If I had laid a hand on him, I would have panelbeated him (sic). It would have been worse than what you saw. I don’t play when I lay hands.”

He further said the case was a waste of the court’s time.

“… well it is a waste of time. That’s why the magistrate ruled against the media’s application [to film the proceedings] because it is a useless case. I don’t know what you are all doing here. It’s a waste of the court’s time and we will deal with it.

“We are here because we had a scuffle with a white man. If it was [a] black man, they could have said the two of you go for mediation and find each other. But, you don’t touch a white person as a black person.

“I didn’t do that. Mbuyiseni didn’t do that. All we were fighting for is to enter the cemetery and go and bury our mother. We had all the right to be there and he was not going to stop us.

“If we are going to prison for having fought to bury Winnie Mandela, so be it. Let it be. We are being arrested for fighting to bury a revolutionary. I think it was a genuine cause.”

WATCH: Malema and Ndlozi push a policeman at Winnie’s funeral

The NPA’s decision to prosecute came after sustained pressure from AfriForum, which announced in July it would approach the court with a mandamus application that would compel it to make a decision regarding the prosecution of Malema and Ndlozi.

In September, the NPA communicated with the lobby group that it would prosecute them.

The lobby group’s head of private prosecutions unit, advocate Gerrie Nel, said at the time: “Although we welcome the NPA’s decision to prosecute, it is regrettable that AfriForum had to put so much pressure on it simply to fulfil its constitutional duty. We will carefully monitor the case to ensure that the complainants get justice.”

Asked if there were any other charges added besides assault, Mjonondwane said those details would only become available after the two appeared in court.

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Background reporting, News24 Wire)