Photo: Julius Malema / Twitter
Photo: Julius Malema / Twitter
Julius Malema has lawyered up big-time, after DA leader John Steenhuisen accused him of ‘inciting violence’ during the alleged insurgency against the ANC government last week. The 40-year-old Red Beret has rejected these claims, and he’s now pursuing a R1 million legal case against the leader of the official opposition.
Meanwhile, TimesLive report that Steenhuisen himself has not been made aware of this course of litigation. From what has been established so far, the main details of this million-rand political showdown are as follows:
Ian Levitt Attorneys, a Sandton-based legal firm, say they are ‘committed and conscious of the high ethical standards laid down by the profession’. The group is adamant that Julius Malema has not stoked the fires of insurrection, but instead, he has simply exercised his right to free speech via social media channels.
“Our client has cautioned the law enforcement agencies to act lawfully when exercising their duties on the ground, to stop the looting from taking place and to act with restraint, to minimise the violence and prevent further violence from taking place. The tweet you have referred to does not incite violence.”
“Our client is also legally entitled to call for the removal of the soldiers from their current deployment in the exercise of his freedom of speech which is protected by the constitution. The writer laments the heavy-handedness of the military and expresses his preference that the army should not be deployed.”