A South African court found the firebrand leader of the ruling
ANC's youth wing guilty of hate speech and fined him for suggesting
a woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of rape had enjoyed the
sexual encounter, local media reported.
Youth league leader Julius Malema - who has been lobbying for South
Africa's mines to be nationalised - often courts controversy and a
small South African opposition party laid fresh hate speech charges
against him last week after he led students in a song calling for
white farmers to be killed.
Last year a gender rights group took Malema to court over comments
he made suggesting the fact that the woman stayed for breakfast
after the incident involving Zuma showed she had a nice time.
The gender group said Malema's comments trivialised rape and would
perpetuate sexual violence against women.
"The Equality Court has ruled that ... Julius Malema's comments
amounted to hate speech," Talk Radio 702 reported, adding that the
outspoken youth leader was ordered to publicly apologise and pay
50,000 rand ($9,617) to a shelter for abused women.
Equality Courts hear cases from people who have suffered unfair
discrimination, hate speech or harassment.
Malema's lawyer Tumi Mokwena told the radio station the defence
would decide whether to appeal.
"Although we did not agree with the judgement we respect the
court's decision," Mokwena said.
Malema's ANC Youth league was instrumental in bringing Zuma to
power last year and the 29-year-old is seen as useful to the ANC in
its efforts to build support among the poor.
South Africa's High Court acquitted Zuma of raping an
HIV-positive family friend in 2006, a case that garnered widespread
public interest and condemnation from women's groups in a country
with one of the highest incidents of rape in the world.
Zuma denied the rape charge against him but admitted to having
unprotected sex with his accuser despite knowing she had the HIV
virus.
Zuma's sexual conduct has again come under criticism this year
after the Zulu traditionalist, a polygamist with three wives,
admitted to fathering his 20th child from an extramarital
relationship last year.
