EFF on collision course with AfriForum over singing of 'Kill the boer' at rally
EFF leader Julius Malema sang the song on stage in Sharpeville on Friday, where he said the party did not recognise Human Rights Day, rather choosing to commemorate those who died on the day under apartheid.
EFF leader Julius Malema addressed supporters at a rally in Sharpeville, Soweto on 21 March 2025. Picture: @EFFSouthAfrica/X
CAPE TOWN - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has once again put itself on a collision course with lobby group, AfriForum, over the singing of the struggle song "Dubula ibhunu" at its Sharpeville rally on Friday.
Loosely translated as "Shoot the boer" or "Kill the boer", AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said that its repeated use supported his organisation’s claim that white Afrikaners were under threat.
In 2022, the Equality Court ruled that the anti-apartheid chant can’t be considered hate speech, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal last year, that its lyrics could not be interpreted literally.
EFF leader Julius Malema sang the song on stage in Sharpeville on Friday, where he said the party did not recognise Human Rights Day, rather choosing to commemorate those who died on the day under apartheid.
??Must Watch??
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) March 22, 2025
The President and Commander In Chief @Julius_S_Malema addressing Fighters at the #EFFSharpevilleDay.
We do not come here to commemorate a so-called "Human Rights Day," but to remember and honour the sacrifice of those who fell on March 21, 1960, at the hands of a… pic.twitter.com/xxpEHFCSgP
AfriForum's Kriel, who recently visited Washington to complain to the US government about the alleged ill-treatment of white South Africans, posted a clip of Malema singing the song on his X account.
Quoting US President Donald Trump that very bad things were happening in South Africa, Kriel said the video supported this view.
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… https://t.co/qebCK2XZcS
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) March 21, 2025
In the first of two posts, he tagged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who last week expelled the country’s Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.
He also tagged South African-born American political commentator and writer, Joel Pollak, who penned a piece that’s believed to have led to Rasool’s removal.
In a second post on Saturday, Kriel said he could confirm that influential people abroad had taken note of the video.
Kriel also tagged the Presidency in the post and said that the head of state and other senior African National Congress (ANC) leaders had not condemned its use.
I can confirm that influential people abroad have taken note that the hate chant calling for the killing of Afrikaners and farmers, “Kill the Boer,” was sung again yesterday in South Africa. It is also evident to them that @PresidencyZA Ramaphosa and other senior ANC leaders have… pic.twitter.com/y9h6l09nEr
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) March 22, 2025
In dismissing AfriForum's appeal against the chant's use last year, the court ruled that the reasonably well-informed person would understand that Malema was using the historic chant as a form of political speech, rather than a literal call for violence.