AfriForum urges Ramaphosa to condemn ‘Kill the Boer’ chant
Lobby group AfriForum has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly condemn the 'Kill the Boer' chant performed by EFF leader Julius Malema on Human Rights Day.
Malema addressed party supporters during the rally, where he said, “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 murderous apartheid regime.”
AfriForum's Ernst van Zyl urges Ramaphosa to address farm murders as a national priority offence and retract false claims about violence against farmers.
He emphasises the need for closer collaboration between the government and community safety structures to combat rural crime.
"President Ramaphosa's silence on the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant reinforces the idea that he is more concerned about not upsetting the EFF than reassuring minority communities who have legitimate concerns and fears about being targeted and villainised.
"For years, the government has given the farmers of this country a cold shoulder and turned a blind eye to the extreme violence that has affected farmers in the form of brutal farm attacks and murders."
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to social media and said that Afrikaners who are threatened with violence would be welcomed in the US.
“Kill the Boer” is a chant that incites violence. South Africa’s leaders and politicians must take action to protect Afrikaner and other disfavored minorities. The United States is proud to offer those individuals who qualify for admission to our nation amid this continued…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 24, 2025
South African-born entrepreneur Elon Musk also took to his social media platform X, accusing the South African government of “actively promoting genocide”.
The legacy media never mentions white genocide in South Africa, because it doesn’t fit their narrative that whites can be victims https://t.co/K7FS3EtVYR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2025
In 2023, Malema defended the chant, saying the Equality Court found that it did not amount to hate speech.
"There is no song, 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer'. That is a chant. We over-explained it in court. If you have a problem with it, go to the records of the courts,” Malema said.
"Don't be lazy to read and ask me the same all over again and again. And I won in court. The court said there is nothing wrong in singing 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer’.”
Van Zyl says the letter to Ramaphosa highlights that the government needs to work more closely with community safety structures – such as neighbourhood watches and farm patrols – in rural communities to contribute to the fight against farm attacks and rural crime in general.
READ FULL LETTER BELOW:
Letter to President by Mmangaliso Khumalo on Scribd
