Pressure is mounting on ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Collen Maine to retract his threats of a civil war and calling Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members monkeys.

Maine‚ in his address at an ANCYL rally in Tshwane last week‚ said there would be civil war should the EFF or anyone disrupt President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address.

He specifically directed his threats at EFF leader Julius Malema and his supporters whom he referred to as monkeys.

Congress of the People (COPE) spokesman Dennis Bloem on Wednesday led a delegation to open a case of incitement of violence against Maine at Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria.

Bloem said COPE took Maine’s threats of a civil war seriously.

“If you look in Africa we had many civil wars because of reckless talks such as those from Maine. When leaders say such things supporters and people on the grounds literally start attacking each other‚” said Bloem.

Maine’s party‚ the ANC‚ also reprimanded him for calling EFF members monkeys especially in light of recent utterances by Penny Sparrow that blacks are monkeys.

ANCYL spokesman Mlondi Mkhize said Maine would call a press conference to clarify his comments.

“I am not sure whether the president will be retracting his comment or not. He feels that he should be granted an opportunity to clarify his comment‚” said Mkhize.

TMG DIGITAL/TMG Local Government team