Johannesburg - Legal action against Black First Land First (BLF) is piling up with the latest charge from the DA against the organisation’s leader Andile Mngxitama for inciting violence against white South Africans.
The DA’s Joe McGluwa said he laid the charge against Mngxitama at the Potchefstroom police station on Monday.
The party has also reported the BLF and its leader to the Equality Court and the Human Rights Commission.
The legal action has been prompted by Mngxitama’s comments over the weekend at a small rally held by the party where he called for five white people to be killed for every black person that dies in taxi violence.
His comments have drawn huge criticism and various other threats of legal action against the organisation, which has ambitions to join the political arena and contest general elections next year.
McGulwa said the BLF was on a mission to divide the country along racial lines and it had to be stopped.
“This sort of behaviour seeks only to divide our nation on the basis of race and threatens the gains we have made towards reconciliation and truly building One South Africa for All. Mngxitama’s dangerous rhetoric must be condemned and rejected in the strongest terms, and the relevant authorities have a duty to act against Mngxitama and his pseudo-revolutionary grouping,” said McGluwa.
Trade union Solidarity said it would file a complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to prevent the BLF from taking part in next year’s elections because of Mngxitama’s comments.
“Section 16(1)(c) of the Electoral Commission Act makes it clear that the Chief Electoral Officer may not register a party if such party is guilty of the incitement of violence or discrimination in accordance with generally accepted grounds,” said the union.
In a separate incident, the BLF has also faced criticism for its alleged attack on an advocate at the South Gauteng High Court last week. The attack has also been condemned by other law societies.
The Law Society of South Africa said: We join our colleagues from the Johannesburg Bar Council and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the violent attack on an advocate by members of Black First Land First (BLF) movement at the Johannesburg High Court last week. Although we accept the right of political entities and members of the public to protest, violence and destruction can never be condoned,’ said LSSA chairpersons, Mvuzo Notyesi and Ettienne Barnard.
“Assault is a criminal offence and we urge the authorities to investigate the matter urgently and bring the perpetrators to book. Justice must be done and seen to be done. In addition, we call on the leadership of BLF to condemn the actions of its members. There can be no justification or encouragement for such mob violence,” said Notyesi and Barnard.