EFF Statement on the arrest of their commander in chief

20, December, 2013

Economic Freedom Fighters, together with its Commander in Chief, fighter Julius Malema would like to apologize  for the regrettable incident of contravening the speed limit on the N1 in the Vaal. The CIC, who was on a tight schedule, was on his way from Bloemfontein to attend to an urgent program in Alexandra.

This is after he had been in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday 17th, in Queen's Town and King William's Town, meeting with former mineworkers, and on the same day in the evening was in meetings in Johannesburg. The following day, early morning he had to be in Kimberly, Kuruman to meet with the Kgatelopele Asbestos Forum and in proceeded to Bloemfontein for a meeting that lasted till the early hours of Thursday morning. In Bloemfontein, the CIC attended to structures of the EFF in the Free State, including on the same Thursday in which he urgently had to travel to Alexandra. The CIC also had meetings to attend in Johannesburg in the evening. In essence, it means he would be in three provinces in one day, stretching also between distant towns.

EFF appreciated the great resilience that the police showed in the manner in which they dealt with the case of the CIC. This is in light of the pressure they were coming under from their superiors who tried to instruct them to deny the CIC bail. The police officers expressed great shock that a matter they would ordinarily deal with easily within the or jurisdiction evoked higher structures within the police ranks, including from the police commissioner.

Upon arrest, the CIC co-operated with the three traffic officers and immediately apologized to them. EFF and the CIC encourages all South Africans not to emulate this regrettable example and to abide by traffic laws, particularly this festive season.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, December 20 2013

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter