EFF leader Julius Malema returned to Twitter on Wednesday after a suspension that divided political opinion. However, his freedom may be short-lived, if DA boss John Steenhuisen has anything to do about it.
Julius Malema returns to Twitter after suspension
Malema was booted from using the social media platform after he incited his followers to join the shutdown riots in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng on Tuesday.
The tweet was in response to the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in hotspot areas where looting and public violence had broken out.
No soldiers on our streets! Otherwise, we are joining. All fighters must be ready… they won't kill us all. We need a political solution to a political problem, not soldiers.#NoToSoldiers
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) July 12, 2021
To reaffirm its policy on incitement, Twitter restricted Malema’s access to the app for two days and on Wednesday, the Red Berets’ commander-in-chief returned to the timeline with a plea for the public’s assistance in tracking down this woman who was arrested for her alleged involvement in looting.
I'm back, and please help me find our Gogo. Already dispatched the legal team to look for her at the police stations this morning. pic.twitter.com/HUicu0BNEF
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) July 14, 2021
DA leader files criminal charges against Malema
While Malema’s skirted accountability from Twitter with a warning, he still has some answering to do in a court of law for his alleged culpability in the incitement of looting and public violence that’s gripped the nation over these past six days.
In a statement released earlier this week, DA MPL Glynnis Breytenbach confirmed that Malema and some of the children of former president Jacob Zuma would be hit with incitement charges.
“For his part, Julius Malema threatened to join the anarchy on the streets if the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is deployed and likened the deployment to a declaration war against civilians instead of an attempt to maintain law and order. We are also deeply disturbed by Malema’s racially charged remarks about the Indian community that have the potential to incite further racial tensions,” Breytenbach noted.
While the EFF leader has yet to receive a formal notice of a criminal case opened against him, Police Minister Bheki Cele did confirm that Duduzile Zuma-Sibandla is being probed for her part in fuelling the unrest.
“When you break the law, it doesn’t matter who you are. These are all people who are inciting violence on social media, and they will not be spared,” he warned.