Respect ConCourt's 'Kill the boer' decision, says ANC's Mbalula
Fikile Mbalula said that now that the Constitutional Court had settled the debate over whether the "Kill the boer" chant constituted hate speech, those opposed to it should stop creating unnecessary controversy around it.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula during a media briefing at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on 13 March 2025. Picture: Spamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that organisations opposing the "Kill the boer" chant must accept the Constitutional Court's ruling.
On Thursday, the apex court rejected AfriForum's application to appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that found the chant can’t be considered hate speech.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC's NEC meeting on Friday morning, Mbalula criticised AfriForum for blatantly overlooking the historical context of the chant.
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Mbalula said that now that the Constitutional Court had settled the debate over whether the "Kill the boer" chant constituted hate speech, those opposed to it should stop creating unnecessary controversy around it.
"The highest court in the land has decided that the 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer' chant is not hate speech. That’s what the Constitutional Court has resolved and we hope that those who brought the matter before the Constitutional Court will respect that."
Mbalula acknowledged the historical context behind the chant but emphasised that the ANC no longer sang it, as the time for doing so had passed.
"As the ANC, we are not singing 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer' because we don’t believe it is relevant at the present moment but we wouldn’t stop others from chanting it."
He added that while the ANC would not interfere with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s decision to sing it, he questioned its relevance in the current context.
However, Mbalula affirmed that with the matter now settled by the highest court, those who wished to chant the song should be allowed to do so peacefully.