EFF leader Julius Malema threatened to fight police at their homes because he claimed they colluded with whites.
AFRIFORUM and trade union Solidarity are expected to lay a charge against EFF leader Julius Malema following comments he made against SAPS members at the weekend.
AfriForum’s head of policy and action, Ernst Roets, said a case would be opened at the Lyttelton police station.
On Sunday, Malema, while addressing party supporters, complained that the police had been colluding with whites and abused EFF supporters in recent protests against racism at Senekal in the Free State and Brackenfell in Cape Town.
Malema said the party would retaliate by visiting cops individually at their homes.
“If SA police want a fight, they must declare it. We will treat them the same way we treated them in the ’80s. We will not only fight them at the picket lines. We will go to their homes and fight them in their own houses with their own families,” Malema said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele slammed Malema’s comments, calling them “reckless and dangerous”.
“I think the EFF leader has crossed the line, you’re not going to threaten the police and think they will just fold their arms. The job of the police is clear and is prescribed in the Constitution, which is to protect, prevent, combat and investigate crime. Police are also there to uphold and enforce the law, so no one has the right to threaten the police when they conduct their work,” he said.
Cele has called on police members to protect themselves.
He said police were more than capable of defending themselves, should they come under any attack.
The policing union Popcru also slammed Malema for the comments, describing them as dangerous and irresponsible.
“Just as he has done before, verbally attacking the character of our men and women in blue in September for acting out their duties, to an extent where he even labelled their boots as stinky, he has this time around taken his insults to another level, wherein he is encouraging direct violence against members of the SAPS and their families,” said Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo.
He accused Malema of indirectly calling for lawlessness.
“For a person like Mr Malema, who is also a public representative, to stoop so low and put the lives and families of law enforcement officers at such potential risk is highly irresponsible.
“This also happens at a time when we have been pleading with the populace to assist in the fight against police killings, which are on the rise,” Mamabolo said.
