Cape Town - Journalist Karima Brown was on Friday preparing to take the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to the Electoral Court as supporters of the party continued to target her with threats and abuse.
"I received threats as late as this morning," Brown said.
She was meeting with lawyers to bring a case against the EFF for violating the electoral code of conduct in the run-up to the May national polls after party leader Julius Malema this week accused her of being an intelligence operative for the African National Congress (ANC).
Malema made public Brown's mobile phone number, and EFF supporters began sending violent threats to her.
"You can try harder with your propaganda it wont work you 'spy' we are ready for you and your people. Julius Malema will be President Of This Country.... if you attack to distroy you must expect the same or worst, (SIC)" one recent message read.
Another read: "Go hand yourself."
Brown also received a message from a number with the United Kingdom (UK) country code that said: "We'll die for Juju or we'll kill for him."
Other messages to her phone and Facebook page since the barrage of abuse began on Tuesday saw EFF supporters threatening to rape Brown.
She has laid a complaint of intimidation with the police and received a case number.
The electoral code explicitly bars parties from using language that can provoke violence and enjoins them to respect the role of the media in the run-up to and during the vote. Violations can see parties lose their registration for the election.
Malema published Brown's number and accused her of being a "mole" after she accidentally sent a message asking colleagues at eNCA to keep a watching brief on a campaign event of the party.
The South African National Editors' Forum has condemned the EFF's conduct. It filed a complaint with the Equality Court last year after the EFF began systematically targetting a number of reporters.