AfriForum vows Afrikaners will protect themselves after court ruling

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Civil rights organisation AfriForum has condemned the Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss its appeal against the Equality Court and Supreme Court of Appeal’s rulings, which found that the chant “Kill the Boer” does not constitute hate speech. The ruling, which AfriForum claims legitimises incitement to violence against Afrikaners and farmers, has been met with strong opposition from the organisation.

In response to the ruling, AfriForum has announced plans to expand its 177 neighbourhood and farm watches across the country. Kriel stated that the organisation will not sit idly by while Afrikaners and farmers feel unsafe. “If the government and authorities fail to protect us, we will ensure our own security.”

“We are doing this to secure a safe future for ourselves, our communities, and our descendants,” said AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, urging Afrikaners to take responsibility for their own safety within the confines of the law.

Kriel Criticises the Court’s Decision

Kriel expressed his disappointment, stating that the ruling contradicts the constitutional protections established after 1994. “With this shocking court ruling, we see that the protection of human rights no longer applies equally. We are witnessing an increasing radical implementation of the Constitution and more ideologically driven judges,” said Kriel.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed the Constitutional Court’s ruling, calling for AfriForum to respect the court’s decision.

The EFF said in a statement: “The highest court in the land has confirmed what we have maintained all along: this case was a cynical attempt to weaponise the legal system to distort history and silence Black resistance.”

EFF Criticises AfriForum’s Narrative

The EFF further criticised AfriForum, calling it a “white supremacist organisation of apartheid apologists” that perpetuates a false narrative of white victimhood.

“EFF welcomes the ruling by the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which has dismissed with finality the baseless and reactionary attempt by the racist lobby group AfriForum to appeal against the Equality Court and Supreme Court’s rulings in our favour that “Kill the Boer” is not hate speech. The highest court in the land has confirmed what we have said all along: this case was a frivolous and cynical attempt to weaponise the legal system to distort history and silence Black resistance.”

AfriForum has accused the government of ignoring their concerns and failing to address attacks on white farmers. The EFF, however, rejects this claim, stating that at no point in history have Black people victimised white people. “The real victims in this country have always been Black people: enslaved, dispossessed, massacred, and subjected to centuries of institutionalised racism,” the party asserted.

AfriForum’s Vow to Protect Afrikaners

AfriForum has also criticised the government’s reluctance to condemn the chant and warned that minority communities must take responsibility for their own security. “Afrikaners, farmers, and other minority groups must protect themselves,” Kriel said. “We will expand our security structures and ensure that our communities remain safe.”

Kriel has described the ruling as ‘unthinkable’ and insists that the lyrics provoke fear in the people the lobby group represents.

“We do not accept the decision calmly, and we will not resign ourselves to it, because we have self-respect. We also refuse to accept that our children must hear that they can be murdered, and that society approves of it. We will continue to fight this – also internationally,” Kriel commented.