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The National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to drop charges against ANC Youth League president Collen Maine but to prosecute Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema is a sign that its head, Shaun Abrahams, “has been captured”.
Congress of the People spokesperson Dennis Bloem said that the organisation would not let the matter rest. Cope had decided to approach the minister of justice and engage with the police.
“I must indicate that we are not going to leave it like this. We will engage with them. Shaun Abrahams must know that this country will never become a banana republic where these people will do whatever they want to do,” Bloem said.
In February this year, ahead of the state of the nation address by President Jacob Zuma, ANC Youth League president Collen Maine uttered the following words: “Those who seek to disrupt the state of the nation must prepare themselves for a civil war ... The youth league will physically remove woodworkers from Parliament. We cannot allow Julius Malema and his monkeys to run our country amok and turn this country into a banana republic.”
As a result of his remarks, Cope laid a charge against the youth league president for unlawfully inciting violence in breach of the Constitution.
The charges were laid on February 10 at the Brooklyn Police Station. The case was handed over to the Soshanguve Police Station, and then unceremoniously dropped.
“On October 30 we received communication from Soshanguve Police Station informing us that the National Prosecution Authority had declined to prosecute Collen Maine. No explanation was provided for this decision. So Maine won’t have his day in court. In February we said we hope and believe that Maine will be prosecuted for declaring his readiness to start a civil war,” Bloem said.
Bloem added that the lack of action was a direct testament that Shaun Abrahams, head of the prosecuting authority had been “captured” by the state.
“This is a clear indication that Shaun Abrahams is being captured by the ANC. We are saying that this is not an accident that this case was withdrawn. He [Shaun Abrahams] charged Malema for a lesser offence, he was charged with an apartheid law. Yet this one [Maine] who has caused danger to the lives of people and has called for a civil war in the country, had his case withdrawn by the NPA. This decision to withdraw the charge was politically motivated and had nothing to do with the law,” Bloem told City Press.
When City Press contacted NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku, he said he had sent the query through to the prosecutor who was dealing with the case in order to verify the case because he was unaware of the charges which were laid against the youth league president.
“I have requested the chief prosecutor in Pretoria, who is responsible for that cluster, to verify the veracity of this. I am waiting for this response,” Mfaku said.
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