EFF Member of Parliament, Carl Niehaus says he takes the death threats by founder of the right wing Delta Force, Leon Johan Koekemoer seriously.
On Thursday, Niehaus opened a case of intimidation against Koekemoer following the death threats allegedly made on Koekemoer’s Facebook page this past week.
Niehaus says he was informed by one of Koekemoer’s followers on Facebook about the threats made by Koekemoer through the social media account.
Niehaus said Koekemoer’s threat on his life warranted an investigation by the police as Koekemoer was a trained former member of the Boeremag.
“Koekemoer, a former member of the Boeremag, is a leader of a far right wing group called Delta Force. This is the same person who threatened to kill Nelson Mandela. He is well-trained special force member of the old Apartheid defence force. I have to take his threats very seriously and hope that the Western Cape Police will make an arrest soon,” he stated.
The violent threats against Niehaus were also condemned by the EFF with the party saying Koekemoer’s violent past is well documented.
“Koekemoer, a former member of the Boeremag, has a well-documented history of extreme right-wing activities and terrorist inclinations. His call for the assassination of an EFF member is not an isolated incident but rather a reflection of the dangerous and racist faction of South African society hell-bent on reigniting the flames of hatred and white supremacy that the EFF stands resolutely opposed to,” the party said.
Party spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo indicated that the party will be monitoring the situation closely as his threats are too grave to ignore.
“The EFF is closely monitoring the case, and we demand that the authorities treat these death threats with the utmost seriousness. It is unacceptable that individuals like Koekemoer, who openly advocate for violence and murder, are allowed to propagate such dangerous ideologies in the public sphere without facing consequences,” he added.
Attempts to get comment from the Western Cape police were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
However, Koekemoer accused Niehaus of being an attention seeker who case will not succeed in court.
“All know that Carl Niehaus likes attention and sensation and as an political activist, yes I do know that he opened a case against me but as you are well aware that there are a clear difference between fact and fiction and the actual law, this case will not stand in court,” he said.