EFF leader Julius Malema has courted controversy with his performance of the Apartheid struggle song Kill The Boer on Human Rights Day.
The controversial party leader addressed a crowd of supporters at Dlomo Dam in Sharpeville as part of its “Sharpeville Day” commemoration.
Many South Africans, including Pretoria-born billionaire Elong Musk, have criticised Malema’s performances of the song.
MALEMA SINGS ‘KILL THE BOER’ ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
In clips circulating on the X app, clips of Julius Malema singing Kill The Boer quickly went viral. The EFF party leader closed out his Sharpevill Day commemoration with the controversial struggle song.
During his address, Malema responded to critics of the Expropriation Bill, which included US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who have been accused of spreading “misinformation” about South Africa. Trump has offered Afrikaner South Africans the opportunity to seek refugee status in America over his claims of “racial discrimination.”
Of the widely contended bill, Malema said: “Today we are confronting racists with legislation and a constitution to expropriate land without compensation.
“The USA is not interested in diplomacy. The USA is interested in dominance over us by any means necessary. We must stand up and fight for ourselves because we represent a historical mission, and that mission is to return the land.
“Whether Donald Trump likes it or not, we are going to fight for the return of this land in South Africa.”
Addressing Musk, Malema continued: “We must not be intimidated by Elon Musk and everybody who stands with him. All those who are offered an opportunity to go to America because there is a genocide against them you are free to go. We have no home for racists in South Africa”.
AFRIFORUM’S KALLIE KRIEL RESPONDS
Malema’s performance of Kill The Boer had many South Africans outraged, particularly with the timing on Human Rights Day.
Outspoken critics like Roland Schoeman, The Kiffness, and Renaldo Gouws condemned the EFF leader over his decision to sing the
AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel – who is being probed for treason over his comments about South Africa – also reacted.
Tagging both Donald Trump and SA President Cyril Ramaphosa, he tweeted: “As President @realDonaldTrump would say: “VERY BAD” things are happening in South Africa. Today, the chant Kill the Boer, kill the farmer, which targets Afrikaners and farmers, was once again sung in South Africa.
“@PresidencyZA Ramaphosa and other senior ANC leaders were, as always, silent—once again giving it tacit support by not condemning it. Ironically, this happened today, a day officially recognised as Human Rights Day in South Africa”.
‘KILL THE BOER IS PART OF MY HISTORY’
In 2023, Malema defended his performance of Kill The Boer at the EFF’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
Speaking in a media address, he denied allegations the song would “incite violence” or fuel racial tensions.
Malema said: “If it had any negative connotation, it should have done it in the 90s. It had all the reasons to do it in the nineties. It still hasn’t done it. So, why would he do it now?
“To say to us don’t sing this song because it belongs to the nineties. You are asking me to forget my history. I will not do that.
“It’s part of my history. It’s where I come from. I use this song to remind myself of what we’ve gone through”.
He continued: “We’ve emphatically and repeatedly said the Boers and the farmers do not refer to individuals but refer to a system of oppression.
“So from its inception, it has never been targeted at individuals. It has always been targeted as a system of oppression.
“If we had intentions to kill anyone, we had 100,000 people under our noses after chanting it. We would have all left that stadium in unison to go and kill the white people. But our people understand it for what it is.”
According to a 2022 ruling, the Equality Court found that Kill the Boer was not considered hate speech.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MALEMA’S ‘KILL THE BOER PERFORMANCE?
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