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"The cold-blooded execution of an Afrikaner farmer, Mr. Kobus de Vries, by 'n large group of policemen in Kwazulu-Natal shows to what extent the influence of Julius Malema's incitement has already placed the country on the slippery slope towards ethnic conflict," said Dr. Dan Roodt of PRAAG today. Also today, he will hand over an urgent letter to the National Prosecution Authority, together with a copy of Dr. Pieter Mulder's charge of hate speech against Julius Malema laid by the deputy minister of agriculture against the ANC youth leader last year. (See copies attached.)

Already last week, Roodt requested in a letter to advocate Menzi Simelane, the national director of prosecutions, that Malema should be prosecuted for incitement to genocide in terms of Act 27 of the Republic of South Africa, 2002, and the international Rome Statute. The prosecution authority initially denied that it had received the letter and afterwards stated via Sapa that there existed no charge against Malema.

In the meantime Dr. Roodt has obtained a copy of the charge laid by Dr. Pieter Mulder and officials of the Freedom Front Plus on 10 March 2010 at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria when case number 403/3/2010 was opened against Malema.

"Although Dr. Mulder's charge applies to the less serious offence of hate speech, it is sufficient to equally prosecute him for the international crime of incitement to genocide," said Roodt. "This is what we are demanding from the authorities now, that South Africa adhere to its treaty obligations to the international community, as well as its duty to protect the Afrikaner as a national minority against genocide and incitement."

Roodt was "very worried about the incident in Kwazulu-Natal" when the South African Police Service shot Mr. Kobus de Vries in the back while he was surrendering. "According to our information, a large number of former members and officers of the ANC militia, Umkhonto we Sizwe, has been absorbed into the SAPD. The SAPD has been purged on a racial basis and there are only 14 000 white policement left in the service. As whites they are prevented from being promoted and they remain in the lower ranks without decision-making authority. The ostensible execution of Mr. Kobus de Vries makes it appear as if the SAPD is increasingly acting as an ANC militia and that we are heading for a typically African scenario where human rights violations will be committed by representatives of the state in uniform. Given the most recent statements by the ANC and particularly Malema on land ownership, we are staring a Zimbabwe in the face, except that 'land reform' will be exacted here with genocide or elements of genocide."

Roodt appealed to the United Nations and the international community to take cognisance of South Africa's racial and ethnic polarisation after the incitement of ANC leaders against Afrikaners, as well as the revanchism which has replaced reconciliation as the dominant philosophy. He was also critical of agricultural organisations that did not take a strong enough stand against violence and genocide, fearing that their relations with the ANC government might suffer.

"However, there are limits to pragmatism," said Roodt. "In times of crisis the truth must be told, even if it makes one unpopular. There is a lot at stake: not only tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of lives, but also food security and the continued existence of the Afrikaner in South Africa."