AfriForum, a civil rights organisation, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to take an unequivocal stance against so-called hateful chants such as “Kill the Boer” and publicly condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
This call follows an incident on Human Rights Day, during which Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and party members performed the chant, which explicitly targets South Africa’s white minority and farmers.
IOL previously reported that on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to social media to express concern over the safety of Afrikaners facing threats of violence in South Africa. Rubio stated 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 Afrikaners and other disfavored minorities. The United States is proud to offer those individuals who qualify for admission to our nation amid this continued horrible threat of violence," said Rubio on X.
AfriForum argues that such chants promote violence and create division, undermining efforts to improve race relations and the safety of all citizens.
AfriForum also demands that farm murders be declared a national priority offence, as outlined in the Police Act.
The organisation points out that crimes like gender-based violence, gang violence, and rhino poaching have already been classified as priority crimes, but farm murders remain overlooked by the government.
According to AfriForum, this neglect reflects the government’s failure to address the violence affecting farmers and minority communities.
Head of Public Relations at AfriForum, Ernst van Zyl, stated: “For years, the government has given the farmers of this country a cold shoulder and turned a blind eye to the extreme violence that affects farmers in the form of brutal farm attacks and murders. The government has also never condemned chants like ‘Kill the Boer’ that target farmers. That needs to change, and the current crisis is the perfect opportunity.”
The statement also references a remark made by President Ramaphosa during a 2018 visit to the United States, where he inaccurately claimed, “There are no killings of farmers or white farmers in South Africa.”
AfriForum emphasizes that this false statement has never been retracted. The organization asserts that if the President is to show that South Africa rejects denialism around violent crimes, he must publicly retract these misleading comments made on the international stage.
In addition to these demands, AfriForum advocates for greater collaboration between the government and community safety structures, such as neighbourhood watches and farm patrols, to combat rural crime. Communities across South Africa have already built capacity at the grassroots level to support the police in making rural areas safer.
“The President’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,'' said van Zyl.
Court ruling
In 2022, the South African Equality Court has ruled against AfriForum for its assertion that the words “kill the boer – kill the farmer” constituted hate speech.
Last year, AfriForum said it will be discussing the possibility of approaching the Constitutional Court, following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal where the SCA dismissed AfriForum's appeal against the EFF regarding the singing of “Kill the Boer”.
The SCA ruled that the song was not hate speech.