DA lays criminal charges against Ndlozi for ‘song he sang in Senekal’

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has, on Thursday 22 October, laid criminal charges against EFF Member of Parliament Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, for incitement to arson following a song he allegedly sang in Senekal. According to the party’s Chief Whip Natasha Mazzone, the song translates to “call the fire brigade, burn these Boers”.

“These utterances are not only incredibly hateful but is a call to incite arson, violence and anarchy by Ndlozi and his fellow EFF quasi-revolutionaries,” said Mazzone. 

DA CONDEMNS NDLOZI’S UTTERANCES 

Mazzone said the DA strongly condemns Ndlozi’s utterances. 

“Not only are they indicative of his vile disregard for the safety of rural communities and their lives, it is also indicative of him and his party’s complete disregard for democracy, the rule of law and private property rights,” said Mazzone. 

“Thousands of hectares of land have been on fire and destroyed in the Free State, and while the cause of these fires are still unknown, we do know that a politician sang songs calling ‘the fire brigade’ to ‘burn these Boers’ and that this was followed by large scale destruction,” she added. 

Mazzone said the EFF, which includes Ndlozi, are known instigators of violence and destruction and would rather see South Africa burn in pursuit of their narrow political interests. 

“The DA will not stand by and watch how fascist and racist bullies such as the EFF disregard the laws that govern our country. Unlike the EFF, the DA is a party of rules, laws, constitutionalism and democracy,” she said. 

MAZZONE SAYS SONG SHOULD BE DECLARED HATE SPEECH 

The DA has not only laid criminal charges against Ndlozi but has also laid an ethics complaint with Parliament’s Ethics Committee. 

“We have also referred his utterances to the South African Human Rights Commission to investigate the words within these songs and declare them as hate speech,” she said. 

Mazzone said it’s time that Parliament, Chapter 9 institutions and law enforcement agencies show their teeth and take actions against the “hooliganism and violence” demonstrated by the EFF. 

“These institutions should be at the forefront of investigating and protecting our democracy, they simply cannot cower in the shadows,” she said. 

“While the EFF tries to pull the country into further chaos through race-baiting vitriol, the DA will hold our ground as the rational and peace-loving centre that will continue to fight for the strengthening of our democracy,” added Mazzone.