Just days after returning from Nigeria, where he gave a rousing speech calling for African unity, South African firebrand politician Julius Malema has been convicted of hate speech by the country’s Equality Court, after remarks he made at a rally in 2022.
Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is no stranger to controversy. Thirty-one years after the end of apartheid, his speeches still ignite debates in a country struggling with deep racial divides.
At the centre of the case were words he uttered after an alleged assault on an EFF member by a white man. “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,” Malema said to his supporters.
Court Ruling and EFF’s Defence
The Equality Court ruled that these statements “demonstrated an intent to incite harm”. Judges stressed that while speaking against racism is legitimate, calling for killings is not.
The judgment stated: “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 ruling followed two formal complaints: one by the South African Human Rights Commission, and another by a private citizen who said Malema’s words led to threats.
In reaction, the EFF dismissed the verdict. “The ruling is fundamentally flawed and deliberately misreads both the context and the meaning of the speech,” the party declared. It added: “It assumes that the reasonable listener is incapable of understanding metaphor, revolutionary rhetoric or the history of liberation struggles.”
International Reactions and Ongoing Controversy
Malema’s troubles are not confined to South Africa. In June, he was barred from entering the United Kingdom, with the Home Office describing him as “non-conducive to the public good.” Officials cited his past support for Hamas and fiery rhetoric against white South Africans.
A letter released by the EFF revealed that the UK ban referenced Malema’s words after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, where he declared his party would arm the group if it gained power.
The Home Office further accused him of “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 hit back, calling the move “cowardice” and a blow to democratic discourse.
Even the United States has taken note.
In May, former US President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video of Malema chanting an old anti-apartheid song. The song, which includes the phrase “kill the Boer, kill the farmer,” has been the subject of heated legal battles.
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, however, ruled that protest songs like this cannot be taken literally. The court stated that “a reasonably well-informed person” would understand such lyrics as symbolic expressions of struggle rather than direct calls to violence.
The debate is still raw. Does Malema’s rhetoric breathe life into legitimate revolutionary anger, or does it open divisive wounds that South Africa would be better off leaving to the past? Readers, what do you think?Rate, Like 👍, Comment💬, share this article, and join us on our social media handles. You can also Submit your own story to get featured and earn rewards!
