Malema takes Kunene to court over ‘cockroach’ label
A LEGAL showdown is looming between EFF leader Julius Malema and Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene.
Malema has demanded R1 million in compensation from the PA after Kunene called him a “cockroach” during an interview with ENCA’S Thulasizwe Simelane, just after the local government elections in November.
But Kunene hit back, telling the Daily News on Monday that he would never apologise and that he still stands by his words. He was ready to defend his words because Malema was indeed an irritating cockroach, he said.
Through his lawyer, Ian Levitt Attorneys, Malema has filed court papers in the Equality Court in Johannesburg, where he demands a public apology together with R1 million from the PA, adding that he will donate the money to an organisation of his choice. This comes after Kunene, and the PA, refused to apologise.
In the court papers, seen by the Daily News, Malema lamented Kunene’s utterances and said they were defamatory and reduced him to a sub-human by calling him a cockroach.
Kunene said it was interesting that after Malema insulted the young and old – some old enough to be his father and mother but was never taken to court – he had the guts to run to court whenever the same thing was directed at him.
“Malema behaves like a schoolboy who bullies other kids, but when they slap him, he is the first one to run to the schoolmaster to complain that he was being bullied.
“Tell him to bring it on. I will never apologise and still stand by my words because, to me, he is irritating, like a cockroach. He has insulted us, calling us bandits and criminals, but we are not bandits and criminals. We are ex-criminals. He must stop behaving like a cry baby or sissy boy,” said Kunene.
In a 64-page document incorporated into Malema’s affidavit, the EFF leader says Kunene’s behaviour reminded him of the Rwanda genocide, where between 800 and 1 million Tutsis were slaughtered after Hutu ruling party member Leon Mugesera called Tutsis cockroaches that must be exterminated.
The EFF commander-in-chief further said former speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete withdrew and apologised publicly for calling him a cockroach, but Kunene refused to do so.
Mbete reportedly likened Malema to a cockroach after he and his fellow MPS disrupted the State of the Nation Address in 2015 while former president Jacob Zuma was delivering his speech.
Attempts to get hold of Malema were unsuccessful, but Kunene confirmed that he has received the court papers.