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South Africa

ANC Youth League leader guilty of hate speech over rape comments

A South African court has found the president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party's Youth League, Julius Malema, guilty of hate speech for comments he made concerning a woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape. Malema was ordered to make an unconditional public apology within two weeks and give 50,000 rand to a centre for abused women.

Reuters
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The Johannesburg Equality Court on Monday ruled that Malema’s comments constituted hate speech and harassment under South Africa’s Equality Act.

“Mr Malema, being a man of vast political influence, be wary of turning into a man that often speaks but never talks,” Magistrate Colleen Collis warned the ANC Youth League leader, who was not present in court.

Campaign group Sonke Gender Justice took Malema to court after he said that President Zuma’s rape accuser had “a nice time”.

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Comment: Regis Mtutu, Sonke Gender Justice, Cape Town

Laura Angela Bagnetto

“It is important that, in a country with the level of violence that South Africa has that as men we make it very clear that we should challenge some of the statements that perpetuate some of the myths about rape in this country,” Sonke’s programme manager Regis Mtutu told RFI.

A woman is raped in South Africa every nine minutes, he points out.

Malema’s comments were made last January during a speech at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

“When a woman didn’t enjoy it, she leaves early in the morning. Those who had a nice time will wait until the sun comes out, request breakfast and ask for taxi morning,” Malema told students.

He spoke in reference to a woman who accused Zuma of rape, a charge on which he was acquitted.

Malema’s lawyer, Tumi Mokwena, argued that his client’s comments were simply a restatement of the rape trial judgement. Mokwena will study Monday’s ruling and consult with Malema on whether to appeal it, the lawyer said.

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