South African-born entrepreneur and Twitter owner, Elon Musk, has found himself at the centre of a heated debate after publicly denouncing the “Kill the Boer” chant made by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema.
Elon Musk challenges Ramaphosa to act on ‘Kill the Boer’ chant
The chant, which calls for the death of white farmers, has ignited outrage both within the country and beyond its borders.
As tensions continue to escalate, Musk’s call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the issue has further fuelled the controversy.
The Controversial Chant
The incident occurred during the EFF’s 10th-anniversary celebration at the FNB Stadium this past weekend, where Malema led the crowd in chanting “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer.”
The chants immediately sparked widespread condemnation and ignited discussions across social media platforms. Some have labelled the chant as hate speech and raised concerns about its potential to incite violence and promote genocide.
Elon Musk’s Strong Accusation
Musk’s attention was drawn to the situation when American commentator Benny Johnson tweeted about the chant, exposing it to a broader audience.
In response, Musk publicly accused the EFF of promoting the genocide of white people in South Africa.
He called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the issue and take action against the controversial chant. However, Malema remained defiant and dismissed Musk’s comments.
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The controversy surrounding the “Kill the Boer” chant has also spilt into the legal arena.
Last August, the Equality Court ruled that the chanting of the slogan during an EFF event did not constitute hate speech.
In response, AfriForum, a civil rights organisation, is appealing the ruling, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent and condones incitement to violence against a specific group based on their identity.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen announced that his party would take the matter to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The DA’s legal action focuses on Malema’s alleged incitement of ethnic violence and criticises the ANC government for failing to take action against Malema despite ongoing issues.
In their legal efforts, the DA referred to three key UN charters: the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities, and Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
These charters form the basis for their charges against Malema and the ANC government.
In the face of the DA’s legal actions, Malema remained defiant and dismissive. He challenged the DA to proceed with their legal pursuits, showing no signs of backing down.
Check out some of the reactions to Musk’s comments on the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant below: