SOUTH AFRICA Published July 31, 2023 6:00pm EDT
South African political leader calls for violence against White citizens at rally: 'Kill the Boer, the farmer'
Rival politician John Steenhuisen condemned Malema as a 'bloodthirsty tyrant' calling for 'mass murder'
South African political leader Julius Malema led racially violent chants at a massive rally on Saturday.
Malema, who is the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, sang the genocidal anti-apartheid struggle song "Kill the Boer, the farmer," referring to the White descendants of Dutch settlers or "Boers" in South Africa.
The Economic Freedom Fighters has emerged as one of the preeminent powers in South African politics after the end of the Apartheid regime. Malema was originally a youth leader in the African National Congress (ANC) which was famous for being led by South Africa’s first Black leader, Nelson Mandela.
Malema faced backlash for his call for violence against White South Africans. John Steenhuisen, the leader of South Africa's biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) condemned Malema on Monday, warning, "This is a man who is determined to ignite... civil war." He later noted that Malema is a "bloodthirsty tyrant" calling for "mass murder." He also claimed that the DA will file a complaint against Malema with the UN Human Rights Council.
While the EFF is a relatively new party, it appears to be rising in popularity.
"The liberal DA, which has traditionally appealed to a largely White electorate, is polling to win about 16 percent of the vote," the Agence France Presse reported. "The militant EFF, which advocates for reforms to increase land ownership among Black South Africans, is polling at around 13 percent."
According to the BBC noted that Malema has been brought to court for multiple similar offenses.
"He has been repeatedly accused of hate speech. He's been dragged to court by civil rights group AfriForum after the organisation filed a complaint to have the two songs Dubul'ibhunu (Shoot the Boer) and Biza a ma'fire brigade (Call the Fire Brigade) declared hate speech and unfair discrimination," the BBC reported in an article about the EFF’s 10-year anniversary.
At a similar rally in 2019, Malema declared he would be willing to destroy the political system in order to ensure equality.
"White people, all we want is to join you at the dinner table and eat with you," he said to thousands of followers at Soweto's Orlando Stadium. "If you do not want us to sit with you at the table, then we have no choice but to destroy the table."
In response to previous backlash he has faced for singing "Kill the Boer," ("Kill the White farmer") Malema said the EFF is not "anti-White" so much as seeking "equality for South Africa's Black majority."
Malema also argued that the EFF seeks to address the "ill-gotten privileges that White people enjoy, and which are being protected by the ANC."
Footage recently surfaced online of what appears to be a recent EFF rally, where Malema can be seen chanting "Kill the Boer, the farmer" to a packed stadium of supporters.
In 2019, Malema said, "The first thing we will deal with is the issue of land. We want to expropriate the land without compensation so that Black people also benefit from its wealth."
South African-born billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the video saying Malema is "pushing for genocide." He asked why South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hasn't addressed Malema's rhetoric.
