Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan during a press briefing at GCIS where he released a special Paper on Eskom, 29 October 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
In the wake of their loss against Julius Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters in the hate speech case they brought against them, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s legal team has vowed to “persistently seek all available avenues against infantile campaign by the EFF” against their client.
The Equality Court dismissed Gordhan’s hate speech case on Thursday with costs, including the costs for two counsel.
According to Judge Roland Sutherland, while Malema’s utterances aimed at Gordhan were “indeed hateful”, the minister’s legal team failed to prove that they violated the Equality Act and thereby constituted hate speech.
“Despite the fact that the utterances were indeed hateful and at aimed at endangering hatred against the applicant, the applicant has failed to bring his understandable grievances within the compass of the Equality Act,” Sutherland ruled.
Gordhan took the EFF leader to the Equality Court, sitting in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, after Malema took aim at the minister of public enterprises outside the state capture commission of inquiry venue in Parktown, in November last year.
During his attack, Malema referred to Gordhan as a “dog of white monopoly capital” and told EFF supporters to be “ready for war” against the minister, News24 reported.
According to a statement issued by Gordhan’s lawyers, the minister noted the judgment and believes that the judgment makes it clear that Malema’s statements “were clearly intended to be hurtful” and “promote hatred”.
“We will continue to advise our client to explore all available options provided in law to seek recourse against the persistent and infantile political campaign of the EFF that spreads lies about our client, and promotes the politics of hate, division, intolerance and intimidation.”
They concluded by stating that Gordhan will not be intimidated.
Pravin Gordhan’s lawyer’s statement on Malema hate speech case
(Compiled by Kaunda Selisho)
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