SA ruling party warns against politics of violence

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) warned on Monday that politics of violence advocated by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Juliu Malema are unpatriotic and dangerous to South Africa.

Malema's latest outrageous and disturbingly irresponsible public outburst calling for communities involved in protests to burn the ANC offices rather than public property once again prove that the EFF leader "lacks the necessary maturity, wisdom and temperament to lead anything", ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

Addressing his supporters in Cape Town on Sunday, Malema urged protesting communities to destroy the properties of the ANC rather than the schools.

In recent protests in the town of Vuwani over municipality demarcation, dozens of schools were burned down.

Malema continued with his toxic campaign of destruction, hate and incitement of public violence and criminality, Kodwa said in a statement.

This follows hot on the heels of Malema's recent threat that he and his party will overthrow this democratically and constitutionally-elected government "through the barrel of gun".

Since their election in 2014, Malema and his party have brought anarchy both inside and outside of Parliament, disrupting Parliament and violently occupying land elsewhere in the country, Kodwa said.

Kodwa said leaders of political parties contesting the local government elections just signed the Electoral Code of Conduct in Johannesburg on Monday.

The Code of Conduct prohibits language that provokes violence, intimidation of candidates or voters; publishing of false information about other parties, abusing power to influence the outcome of the election.

"Malema's reckless comments fly in the face of this Code and the noble pledge to tolerance and campaigning free from intimidation. The ANC reserves its rights to recourse in this matter," said Kodwa.

South Africa is to hold local government elections on August 3.

"This country, given its painful past, cannot afford individuals who harbour the most backward and dangerously anarchic tendencies which, instead of advocating for peace and calm, add fuel to the fire and cause violence where there is peace," Kodwa noted. Enditem