Malema: You can go to hell, I won’t apologise for rubbish

EFF leader Julius Malema said on Wednesday that journalists who were waiting for an apology from him or the EFF would wait in vain, as he would not be apologising to anyone.

“You can go to hell, I won’t apologise for rubbish. I’m not scared of Ramaphosa Defence force and all their inlaws,” said Malema.

You can go to hell; I won't apologise for rubbish. I'm not scared of Ramaphosa Defence force and all their inlaws…

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) December 19, 2018

ALSO READ: EFF opposes Sanef’s court challenge as attempt to silence them

EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said on Wednesday that Sanef was attempting to “silence the truth” and stop them from “challenging certain media personalities and journalists”.

He said Sanef was launching a sick, self-preoccupied attempt to suppress” criticism of the media.

The party again named a number of journalists to whom they were opposed for allegedly being a pro-Pravin Gordhan “media gang”.

Sanef had earlier approached the Equality Court in Gauteng in an attempt to interdict Malema and his supporters from threatening journalists.

Sanef wants the court to interdict Malema and his party from:

• Intimidating, harassing, threatening, or assaulting any journalist;
• Publishing personal information of any journalist;
• Expressly or tacitly endorsing the intimidation and harassment of journalists by supporters or followers on social media or on public platforms;
• Expressly or tacitly endorsing the publication of personal information by supporters or followers on public platforms or on social media.

The body, which represents editors and senior journalists from a variety of South African publications, is “seeking the protection of journalists and ultimately of media freedom as a whole in the wake of sustained intimidation and threats against journalists by EFF leader Julius Malema and his supporters”.

“Sanef accepts that the political discourse in SA is robust and that the media may legitimately be criticised on public platforms, yet the social media messages by members of the EFF leadership and its supporters has now crossed the boundaries of professional criticism,” the statement continued.

According to Sanef, these messages amount to “harmful incitement” and are “demeaning and dangerous”.

The party has confirmed that Sanef did approach the Equality Court, but said it only did so to “silence” the party from “challenging”  journalists. It said it would challenge Sanef’s application “as it is based on a sick, self-preoccupied attempt to suppress criticism of embedded journalism and the media”.

The party said it had done nothing wrong as it had never encouraged its members to physically attack journalists.

“No leader or structure of the EFF has ever called on violence with the media or journlists. No leader of the EFF has even called on any journalist’s house address to be published. Instead it is the leaders of EFF , whose home addresses are published and displayed through GPS images. We will never be intimidated, and we shall speak the truth even if it means prison.”

Read their full statement below:

EFF WILL OPPOSE SANEF’S EQUALITY COURT ATTEMPT TO SILENCE THE TRUTH pic.twitter.com/LvvEgykCac

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) December 19, 2018

Also read: Sanef turns to Equality Court to stop Malema’s ‘blatant hate speech’

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