S. Africa's Malema responds to incitement charges: not even prison can silence us

Julius Malema, founder and leader of South Africa’s opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has been served with two court summons on Thursday for calling on party members in 2014 and June 2016 to occupy vacant land.

He responded to the summons expressing commitment to fight for the lands regardless of the court action.

“We want our land now & nothing will deter us from this noble cause,not even prison can silence us. We remain unshaken, we will take our land,” Malema tweeted few hours after the summons were served him.

We want our land now & nothing will deter us from this noble cause,not even prison can silence us. We remain unshaken, we will take our land

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) October 13, 2016

The two summons served during a press conference accuse Malema of contravening the apartheid-era Riotous Assemblies Act of 1956 for “inciting, instigating, commanding or procuring his followers and/or others to commit a crime … by illegally occupying any vacant land…”.

These are the people who served the CIC Julius_S_Malema with summons for contravention of Riotous Assemblies Act of 1956. Sent by Zuma. pic.twitter.com/jDxjQG9d2x

— EFF Official Account (EFFSouthAfrica) October 13, 2016

The crime in question as cited by the summons occurred in Bloemfontein in 2014 during an EFF conference and also in June 2016 in the Madadeni region in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.

“We are going to occupy the unoccupied land because we need the land. For us to eat‚ we must have the land. For us to work‚ we must have the land… I come from Seshego. If there is unoccupied land‚ we will go and occupy the land with my branch. You must go and do the same in the branch where you come from,” he said in Bloemfontein in 2014.

Julius Malema will appear in Newcastle court on November 7 and in Bloemfontein court on November 14.