EFF to sue government over death of Collins Khosa

EFF leader Julius Malema outside the US embassy in Pretoria during a solidarity protest against racism and white supremacy.
EFF leader Julius Malema outside the US embassy in Pretoria during a solidarity protest against racism and white supremacy.
Image: Alaister Russell/The Sunday Times.

The EFF will be suing the state on behalf of the family of Collins Khosa, the party's leader Julius Malema revealed on Monday.

Khosa died during the Covid-19 lockdown, allegedly after an altercation with soldiers deployed to help enforce the lockdown.

Malema said the EFF had assembled a strong legal team to litigate. He added that the party had paid the costs of Khosa’s funeral.

“We said to them [the Khosa family], here are the lawyers that are going to help you to fight this government that killed a black man,” said Malema.

“We went to court and we won the costs of the funeral. We are now proceeding to sue government.

“Leave that report of the military that says soldiers are not at fault - it is friends trying to please each [other]. We will meet them at the neutral court of law.”

Malema said the EFF would demand damages for Khosa’s wife and entire family.

“We have assembled the best legal minds in South Africa to help this family and we have also buried Khosa ourselves - we paid for the mortuary and we removed the body from here to go and to be buried at home.”

Malema said the red berets had initially decided to help the Khosa family “quietly” until people started asking why they were protesting about the killing of George Floyd and not Khosa.

The EFF led solidarity protests around the country on June 8 2020 after the recent brutal killings of George Floyd in the US and Collins Khosa in South Africa. The EFF added their support for numerous global demonstrations protesting against the violent deaths of black people at the hands of police officers in the US.


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