Prosecutions against Mbalula and Malema suspended in South Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
The crimen injuria prosecutions against Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary-general, and Julius Malema, EFF leader, are suspended while National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi reviews the case. Both are accused of calling Pieterse a child rapist, IOL reports.
The crimen injuria prosecutions against Fikile Mbalula, secretary-general of the ANC, and Julius Malema, leader of the opposition EFF, have been suspended pending a review by Andy Mothibi, South Africa’s National Director of Public Prosecutions. The two officials had been summoned to court after falsely accusing Pieterse of being a child rapist, according to IOL.
Summonses were served on Mbalula to appear on Tuesday and on Malema to appear the following day. Barry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum’s private prosecutions unit, said both cases had been put on hold, with written confirmation regarding Malema’s case still awaited.
Andrew Chauke, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng, rejected arguments made by Mbalula’s lawyers. He considers the case to contain prima facie evidence warranting referral to a court and denies any political motive behind the decision to prosecute, according to AfriForum.
