Cape Town - Embattled ANC MPL Andile Lili says he will appeal the verdict finding him guilty of incitement of murder, charging he was expressing his freedom of speech.
Lili was convicted for attending an illegal gathering outside the Bellville Magistrate’s Court and inciting members of the Ses’khona People’s Movement to commit murder in August 2014 and July 2015.
Lili had allegedly told supporters that murderers and rapists should “be killed if people saw them walking in the streets”.
He told the Cape Times on Monday that he was responding to a gender-based violence (GBV) incident where a 21-year-old was raped and murdered.
“It was a freedom of speech. A 21-year-old woman was raped in Khayelitsha.The community was angry. I said if rapists are seen on the streets they must be killed. That was my freedom of speech. Even now the people who raped and killed the girl are in jail because of our efforts. The ANC made me apologise, I did not want to apologise. I have no regrets, rape and GBV is our reality. We live in townships and not in towns,” he said.
At the time of the incident, Lili was leading the Ses’khona People’s Rights Movement, which he founded after being suspended from the ANC for leading protesters to throw human excrement on the steps of the provincial legislature to highlight bad sanitation services in townships.
Ses’khona People’s Rights Movement current leader Bongani Ngcombolo said the charges against Lili were not “genuine”.
“We were attending other cases in Bellville on that day. There was a lot of frustration because a 21-year-old girl was raped and killed. Our leadership was very frustrated. That’s when Lili made that statement while addressing supporters. We are disputing the charge and we think he was arrested because he was a community leader. Also we feel our movement is targeted, because we are a threat to politicians, especially the DA in the Western Cape and some leaders in the ANC,” he said.
In a letter to the ANC last month, Lili’s legal representatives said they would appeal the incitement of violence guilty verdict.
‘“None of the sanctions that may be imposed will carry a prison sentence with all being a maximum fine. The State was unable to prove the existence of any alleged crime that carries a long-term prison sentence. We will appeal the sanction on charge 4 as it violated the right to free speech,” they cited.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case had been postponed to August 12 for pre-sentence reports and sentencing.
ANC head of communications Sifiso Mtsweni said the ANC would announce its decision on the matter on Tuesday.
Cape Times