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Pretoria - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema says he was “attending to a bully” when he was caught on CCtv footage having an altercation with a man at a fast food outlet in Limpopo.
Responding to someone on Twitter, Malema assured that “an explanation will follow” about what had happened.
This comes after AfriForum shared a video of CCTV footage showing Malema exchanging words with the man, Cassie Moller, and pushing him.
Moller wants Malema punished for the incident, AfriForum deputy chief executive Ernst Roets said on Thursday.
"He said he is particularly vexed and angry about the fact that he experienced a matter with a politician abusing his power," Roets told reporters in Pretoria.
Charges of assault, crimen injuria laid
According to a sworn statement and CCTV footage, the incident occurred at the counter of a fast food outlet in Tzaneen around 02:00 on 6 August.
"He views it as a matter of a politician feeling as being above the law," Roets said of Moller.
"If you are famous and you enter a restaurant and push someone around, there will be consequences."
Roets said charges of assault, intimidation and crimen injuria were laid at the Tzaneen police station on Thursday.
"While I was looking in front of me, I felt a heavy slap on my back," Moller said in his statement, read by Roets.
"When I turned around, there was a person standing very close to me and who asked me in a very hostile way: 'Who do you think you are?'"
Moller said Malema called him a "boer".
"He started telling us 'get out, get out' and he called me a 'boer' again. His tone of voice clearly showed his intention to use the word in a derogatory manner."
Refund wanted
According to the statement Moller said that at 02:45 he had asked staff why the two hamburgers his wife had ordered at 02:29 were taking so long.
Moller wanted a refund "as there was no indication that our order was going to be delivered".
Malema, accompanied by several men, entered and allegedly slapped him from behind. Moller said he and his wife were surrounded.
"Malema continued to push me around and I continued to explain that I just wanted to ask for a refund and go home. I noticed that more people started flocking together and I became panic-stricken," Moller said.
"I was especially concerned for my wife because I would not have been in a position to protect her from the group of men. It was a very intimidating situation."
Several men restrain Malema
Moller said Malema became increasingly aggressive.
"He started shouting louder and swore at me [with] the words 'fuck you, you boer. Fuck you'.
"He also said 'I will fuck you up!' He then pushed me hard."
In the video, which does not have sound, Malema pushes Moller and points a finger him. Several men restrain Malema.
Roets said AfriForum provincial co-ordinator Morne Mostert was helping Moller lay the charges.
Explaining why the charges were only being laid two months later, Roets said they had problems getting the CCTV footage.
"Initially the manager at the restaurant did not want to provide us the footage. The manager requested us to go the legal route and have our attorneys speak to her attorneys," said Roets.
"The legal route was followed. We received the footage two weeks ago."
The EFF could not immediately be reached for comment.
@yash0505 I was attending to a bully
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) October 23, 2014Watch the video of the CCTV footage here:
