FORMER Freedom Park chief executive and ANC stalwart Wally Serote yesterday told the Johannesburg high court that banning the liberation song Dubul' ibhunu would amount to banning culture.

"It is African culture to sing and the world knows this," Serote said.

"Bantu education de-educated our people so that we had to find the means to educate ourselves."

When asked by Malema and the ANC's counsel, Muzi Sikhakhane, what he thought of suggestions that the song be banned or that it not be sung but taught in a textbook, Serote asked: "How do you ban culture?"

Serote also rejected Anne-Marie Gray who, last week, said Dubul' ibhunu held no musical value because it was a chant and not a song.

Serote said: "Back then we did not have a structured notation system. We just got together and started singing."

Serote said as far as he was concerned Dubul' ibhunu was a song.

He said one would be hard pressed to go into the bushes and find (initiation) graduates singing before a conductor.

Earlier yesterday Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom warned white people against offending black South Africans.

Hanekom said he had witnessed many instances where white people were seen waving the old South African flag.

He said this was hurtful to black people, who strongly associated the flag with the oppressive apartheid regime.

He told the court that the harsh realities of apartheid still linger in the lives of many black South Africans.

Testifying during the hate speech trial, Hanekom told Transvaal Agricultural Union counsel Roelof du Plessis, that the unbanning of liberation parties in 1990 was not due to "goodwill" but to a hard fought struggle.

He said liberation songs like Dubul' ibhunu contributed to the success of the armed struggle and the fight for political freedom.

When Du Plessis put it to him that most white people did not have an understanding of what black people who sang the song meant by "boer" because of media censorship, Hanekom firmly rejected this.

Du Plessis put it to Hanekom that Malema, who is facing charges of hate speech, seemed to have a "more aggressive" stance to killing people.

He referred to an instance, last week at which Malema sang "Shoot to Kill" outside court to a crowd of supporters and onlookers.

Hanekom denied this again, saying Malema was not violent and did not actually make a call to arms.

Hanekom defended the singing of liberation songs, arguing that they were a celebration of the victory over apartheid and a tribute to those who fought against the regime.

He maintained that the songs were not a call to arms.

The trial continues.