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CAPE TOWN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday laid criminal charges against Collen Maine, President of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League, for inciting violence.
This came after Maine called on MK Veterans, a former armed wing of the ANC, to take up arms to protect President Jacob Zuma who is being investigated for allegedly being influenced by the Indian Gupta family in the appointment of cabinet ministers.
"We contend that these remarks are highly incendiary and are at direct odds with the principles of a nonviolent society as envisaged by our Constitution," Yusuf Cassim, Chairperson of the DA Youth, said.
He said many South Africans fought and died for a democratic South Africa, at peace with itself and the world, and to call for civil war goes against everything the struggle for democracy represented,
"Accordingly, I have requested that the South African Police Service open a case against Mr Maine, and commence investigation in the above respect. We cannot during this time of instability on our campuses have youth leaders calling for violence," Cassim said.
It is becoming a deeply worrying trend for leaders within the ANC to call for violence and go unpunished, he said.
Earlier, ANC MP Bongi Mkongi threatened and encouraged others to burn people alive in the building which housed the "Zuma Must Fall" billboard.
On Tuesday, the ANCYL denied allegations that Maine intended to incite violence when he called on ANC followers last Saturday to take up arms to protect Zuma.
The ANCYL said it does not view Maine's statement as amounting to inciting violence.
Maine's statement was taken out of context, the ANCYL said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.
The Constitution affords every person a right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to impart information and ideas, provided that this right does not extend to inciting imminent violence, ANCYL national spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said.
For one to be accused of inciting violence, "violence must be intended, likely and imminent", Mkhize said.
First and foremost, the statement was not directed against any specific person; neither was it intended or directed at any particular person or group of persons, he said.
"The President of the ANCYL does not have the authority to instruct members of the MK Veterans to bring guns. Such authority lies elsewhere, in particular with the President of the MK Veterans," Mkhize said.
The ANC has distanced itself from Maine's provocative statement, saying it views his utterances as "unfortunate, irresponsible and reckless." The ANC has instructed Maine to retract these comments. Enditem
