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 interpreted as an instruction to kill farmers, as the slogan continues to feature in tensions between South Africa and the US.

He was speaking at the EFF’s Tshela Thupa rally at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday, ahead of the November 4 elections. 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.

President Donald Trump played footage of Malema singing the chant and challenged Ramaphosa over its use.

The announcement also referred to what Washington described as dehumanising chants and slogans. The measures did not identify specific South African politicians as targets.