The Congress of South African Students' statements regarding the guilty verdict against Winnie Madikizela-Mandela are racist and an open attack on the judicial system, Freedom Front leader Dr Pieter Mulder said on Friday.

Cosas claimed that the guilty verdict against the African National Congress MP was because of "the magistrate and prosecutor being white and that the court represents the Boer regime", Mulder said in a statement.

"This is a racist statement and an open attack on the judicial system of this country.

"It can only be guessed at what the ANC and Cosas reaction would have been if similar statements were made from the other side about black judges and courts," he said.

It was ironic that Cosas, as a youth organisation, was still entangled in the "struggle" and racism of the old South Africa, and that the older former president Nelson Mandela had to act as an example to them with his response to the guilty verdict, saying that justice took its course.

Cosas' threats of "burning down jails" and their racist comments were out of step with the post-1994 South Africa, Mulder said.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.