"Kill the boer": South Africa's left at center of criticism for promoting racial discrimination

The leader of the South African left, Julius Malema, revived the ghosts of the past with the verses of a song. The commander-in-chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a radical left-wing party, sang a song banned by the South African High Court during a political rally. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party criticized the gesture and accused Malema of inciting hatred.

The song Malema sang in front of more than 90,000 galvanized radical leftist militants was Dubul' ibhunu, also known as Shoot the Boer or Kill the Boer. The song calls for the execution of the white farmers, descendants of the Dutch, who populated Africa from the 16th century onwards.

"Here is a man determined to start a civil war," said John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the conservative center party. He called Julius Malema a "bloodthirsty tyrant" who seeks "mass murder."

The words of "Kill the boer" are not foreign in South Africa. The country is experiencing a wave of violence against farmers, many of them white Boers, who are murdered on their properties in remote areas of the country's interior. With little government intervention to alleviate these killings, the drivers of the South African agricultural sector gradually left the country. The white population in South Africa has declined from 20% in the 1980s to less than 8% in 2023.

The conservative party announced for the occasion its intention to take the facts to court. It would not be something new for the leader of the left. Malema was expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela's party that has been in power since 1994. It is exposed to further sanctions as in 2011 the South African High Court ruled against the song. The ruling stated that the lyrics violate the dignity of Afrikaners and constitute a hate crime. After this, Julius Malema tried to circumvent censorship by changing part of the lyrics, which in the eyes of the law was not enough and he was convicted.

The lyrics:

shoot shoot shoot

ayeah

shoot shoot shoot

cowards are afraid

shoots the Boer

shoot shoot shoot

shoots the Boer

Mother, leave me alone.

oh mother

mother leave me alone

oh mother

shoots the Boer

shoot shoot shoot

shoots the Boer

shoot shoot shoot

these dogs are raping

shoot shoot shoot

Elections in 2024

The event at which Malema sang celebrated the tenth anniversary of her political formation. It was also a key moment to show their strength for the upcoming elections. The ANC faces a potentially difficult election. The party has been losing seats for three legislatures, although in 2019 it regained a majority in the South African Lower House.

In the opposition, the parties are trying to believe that they can get the ANC out of government for the first time, something that also seems difficult. Although the EFF assured that it would be willing to make a pact with the DA. However, the Conservatives already announced last week that they would not reach any agreement with the far left, and the events of this weekend confirm this. According to Steenhuisen, his party does not share "values and principles" with the EFF.