Malema ‘Fan’ Counts Dead ‘Boere’

One of Julius Malema’s supporters is placing “updates” of farm murders on a Facebook page in the ANC Youth League leader’s name.

On Monday the FF+ [Freedom Front Plus] warned that the ANC youth leader’s controversial song “Shoot the boers, they are rapists” could incite farm murders.

Malema’s Facebook page has over 12 000 fans. One of them, Clearence Letlonkane, has been posting information about farmers being murdered, as reported on news websites, every few hours over the past few days.

One of these updates reads: “3 000 farmers dead since ’94 . . . we lost more people than that . . . we r far from being even . . . So kill da boer, kill da farmer.”

Corruption

Another one of his posts states: “They kept the wealth of our land . . . the little riches obtained is not merly (sic) enough to be shared equally amongst all of us . . . Hence it is that corruption persists . . . Crime will not rest until all that was stolen 4rm us is . . . all regained . . .”

Letlonkane also writes that “eight people have been murdered on farms in Limpopo since the beginning of February”.

When questioned about this, he commented as follows: “I haven’t killed anyone, but I am not sympathetic to those who have been murdered . . . sue me for not shedding a tear.”

Malema is not necessarily the creator or even involved with the page.

Hate speech

Ernst Roets, national chair of AfriForum Youth, has indicated that they will use the Facebook posts as evidence during the hate speech case against Malema which they’ve submitted to the equality court.

Anton Alberts, the FF+’s parliamentary spokesperson for economics, said in a statement on Monday that “one doesn’t have to give the matter much thought to realise that Malema’s utterances are creating an atmosphere which is beneficial to those who want to murder”.

“The FF+ will do its part to stop this scourge in the political and legal arenas. The farming community will have to start protesting publically against the murders and the lack of a commando system. Afrikaners should start learning to toyi-toyi.”

Floyd Shivambu, spokesperson for the ANC Youth League, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, but on Wednesday told News24 the ANC Youth League had nothing to do with the Facebook page. “People have always written nonsense on Facebook. We have complained in the past and it is very sad that people would use the name of Julius Malema for hate speech,” said Shivambu.

He said another Malema fan page had been removed from the social networking site after it had been found to contain hate speech.

Asked whether he saw any connection between Malema’s singing of a song calling for the killing of “boers” and Letlonkane’s posts, he said there was none.

March through Johannesburg

AfriForum Youth is organising a march in Johannesburg on Friday to protest against Malema’s behaviour.

According to Roets, the court case is “an important priority, but it is also necessary for the public to make it clear that the behaviour of Malema and the youth league will no longer be tolerated”.

A letter of grievances and a list of over 1 600 farm murders will be handed to the ANC Youth League during the protest march. Those who have been affected by farm murders will also participate in the march.

According to Roets, the protest will be “legal, peaceful and orderly”.

“The impression created by this protest will be in direct contrast to the ANC Youth League and Malema’s irresponsible actions. Buses from Pretoria have been arranged and placards with slogans will be supplied.”

[The earlier story about the “kill the Boer” song can be read here.]