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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga today laid criminal charges against ANC Youth League Deputy President Ronald Lamola at the Joubert Street police station in Middelburg.

Station Commander Brigadier Catharine Lentsoane advised the DA that an initial charge of intimidation should be laid in order to get the case onto the station’s books. The case, number CAS 533/6/2012, will then be referred to the Detective Unit, which will liaise with the NPA tomorrow morning regarding any additional charges.

The DA had intended to lay charges of incitement of violence against Mr Lamola based on reckless and provocative statements made by him in the media and at political meetings in Mpumalanga.

Mr Lamola has publicly called for a “forceful act of war” to be staged against farmers over land distribution. The recklessness of this statement during a period where a high number of violent crimes are taking place on Mpumalanga farms cannot be tolerated.

The media also quoted Mr Lamola as saying the following at a political meeting in Mpumalanga: “We should also render the province ungovernable and declare anarchy in the province because there is no service delivery”.

While we agree that there is very little service delivery taking place in Mpumalanga, the way to fix this problem is not through violence but through the ballot box.

Politicians who openly encourage acts of violence need to feel the full might of the law. If Mr Lamola intends on being the next Julius Malema then he needs to learn quickly that hateful statements are not tolerated in our South African constitutional democracy.