By James Vusi
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – South African opposition politician Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, has been found guilty of hate speech by the country’s equality court. The conviction stems from controversial remarks he made at a 2022 rally, where he told supporters “you must never be scared to kill” and that “a revolution demands that at some point there must be killing.”
The 44-year-old Member of Parliament, known for his fiery rhetoric, made the comments following an incident where a white man allegedly assaulted an EFF member. During the rally, Malema stated: “No white man is going to beat me up… you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point there must be killing.”
Two complaints were lodged against Malema: one by South Africa’s Human Rights Commission and another by a private individual who alleged they felt threatened by the politician’s remarks.
In its ruling, the equality court determined that Malema’s statements “demonstrated an intent to incite harm.” The court elaborated: “Whilst calling out someone who behaves as a racist may be acceptable, calling for them to be killed is not. And calling for someone to be killed because they are a racist who has acted violently, is an act of vigilantism and an incitement of the most extreme form of harm possible.”
The EFF has strongly condemned the ruling, stating it “is fundamentally flawed and deliberately misreads both the context and the meaning of the speech.” In a statement, the party added: “It assumes that the reasonable listener is incapable of understanding metaphor, revolutionary rhetoric or the history of liberation struggles.”
The verdict adds to a string of controversies surrounding Malema, who frequently sparks debate in a nation where racial tensions persist more than three decades after the end of apartheid in 1994.
Just last month, Malema was denied entry to the United Kingdom, with the Home Office deeming him “non-conducive to the public good.” A letter released by the EFF at the time indicated that the UK cited his vocal support for Hamas, including a pledge made after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that his party would arm the group if it came to power. The Home Office also referenced “statements calling for the slaughter of white people [in South Africa] or hinted that it could be an acceptable option in the future.” The EFF denounced the UK’s decision as “cowardice.”
In May, Malema also faced criticism from US President Donald Trump during a confrontational meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump played a video of the EFF leader singing an anti-apartheid song featuring the lyrics “kill the Boer (Afrikaner); kill the farmer” — a chant Malema often uses at his political rallies.
While Afrikaner lobby groups have previously sought to ban the “kill the Boer” song, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that a “reasonably well-informed person” would understand that such protest songs are “not meant to be understood literally, nor is the gesture of shooting to be understood as a call to arms or violence.” However, this previous ruling pertains specifically to the “kill the Boer” song and not the current remarks for which Malema has been convicted
