Malema insists ‘Kill the Boer’ chant was never a call for murder

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has defended the party’s controversial “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” chant, arguing that it should not be taken literally.

Malema said the chant belonged to the country’s liberation history but insisted that violence against farmers and farm workers had to end.

The chant ‘Kill The Boer, Kill The Farmer’ was never meant in a literal sense. The killings in the farms and of farmers must stop and must stop now.

He argued that the controversy surrounding the liberation chant should not distract from the state’s responsibility to ensure the safety of farmers and farm workers.

The chant has caused diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US, with the Trump administration raising concerns about its use and the US imposing visa restrictions related to incitement to violence. The announcement also referred to what Washington described as dehumanising chants and slogans.

The measures did not identify specific South African politicians as targets.