South African opposition leader Julius Malema has pledged to continue using a controversial anti-apartheid chant that drew attention during a recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The chant featured in a four-minute video presented by Trump during bilateral talks in Washington on Wednesday. The U.S. president used the footage to bolster his claims of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa. The video included several clips of Malema, donning the signature red beret of his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, chanting slogans such as “cut the throat of whiteness” and the song “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer.”
The chant, dating back to the apartheid era, has long sparked debate in post-apartheid South Africa. Though a 2010 ban was later overturned by the courts, who ruled the song should be viewed within its historical and political context, critics continue to argue that it incites racial tension. Supporters say it symbolizes resistance against oppressive white-minority rule.
Speaking at a regional campaign event on Saturday, Malema defended the song as an integral part of South Africa’s liberation history. “This is not my song. I did not compose it,” he said in a televised address. “It was created by our struggle heroes, and I am merely preserving the legacy of our fight. I will never stop singing it — to do so would be a betrayal.”
Malema, 44, founded the EFF in 2013 after being expelled from the ruling African National Congress’s youth wing. He has since gained traction as a vocal critic of economic inequality and racial injustice, positioning himself as a champion for South Africa’s marginalized communities.
While Malema’s rhetoric continues to polarize public opinion, President Ramaphosa and his delegation reportedly distanced themselves from his remarks during the Oval Office meeting, seeking to draw a clear line between government policy and the EFF’s confrontational style.