‘I accept no apology from a racist boy,’ Malema tells Stephen Grootes

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says Newzroom Afrika anchor Stephen Grootes “needs to be taught a lesson”.

“I accept no apology from a racist boy. He needs to be taught a lesson. They [sic] should be a consequence in every racist act,” Malema tweeted.

This comes after Grootes, earlier on Tuesday, “mistakenly” said Malema and EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi had “killed” Lieutenant-Colonel Johannes Venter. Malema and Ndlozi were in court earlier over assault charges stemming from an incident during Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral.

In April 2018, they were accused of pushing Venter – a member of the Presidential Protection Services – after he refused their vehicle entry to the Fourways Memorial Park where Madikizela-Mandela was being buried.

ALSO READ: Credibility of video footage in Malema, Ndlozi’s police assault trial questioned

Grootes immediately apologised for saying “killing” instead of “assault”, with Newzroom Afrika later also noting the incident and extending an apology to Malema and Ndlozi.

Earlier today, Stephen Grootes mistakenly referred to the current case involving EFF leader Julius Malema & Mbuyiseni Ndlozi as that of “killing” as opposed to assault. Stephen apologised immediately thereafter. We regret the error & extend our apology to Mr Malema & Mr Ndlozi. pic.twitter.com/j5xLRiUh1H

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 9, 2021

However, Newzroom’s apology came after the EFF had already released a statement calling for Grootes’s dismissal.

“The EFF calls for the immediate removal of compromised, racist and incompetent NewzRoom Afrika anchor Stephen Grootes, for making a blatantly false and defamatory remark, whilst covering the common assault case involving the CIC Julius Malema and Commissar Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

“In a pathetic display of his bias and dislike of the EFF and its leadership, the idiotic Grootes claimed that the commander-in-chief and commissar Ndlozi were in court for killing police colonel Johannes Venter,” the statement read.

Ndlozi also weighed in, saying Grootes had “no interest in accurate reporting”.

“I’ll tell you where the word that we killed Venter comes from: your bloody unrepentant racist psyche which always sees black activists as Die Swart Gevaar! F**k your apology,” Ndlozi tweeted.

Additional reporting by Bernadette Wicks

ALSO READ: ‘Cop had no right to refuse Malema, Ndlozi entrance,’ says lawyer as trial continues

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