Johannesburg - EFF leader Julius Malema has dared the DA and AfriForum to challenge him through the courts for singing the Struggle song Kill the Boer.
On Saturday, during the EFF’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Malema chanted the song to rousing applause from the more than 90 000 EFF supporters gathered at FNB Stadium.
Both the DA and AfriForum objected to the song, with DA leader John Steenhuisen announcing steps against Malema.
In a press briefing on Monday, Steenhuisen said he plans to take Malema and his party to the UN Human Rights Council for their chanting of the controversial “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” song.
The DA leader said his party intends to file charges against Malema with the UN Human Rights Council and approach Parliament’s ethics committee over the matter.
Responding to Steenhuisen’s announcement of action against Malema, the EFF leader challenged his rival, saying he is not the ANC.
“Bring it on, small boy. We are not the ANC,” Malema said on Twitter.
In a statement, the EFF said that on August 25, 2022, the party was cleared by the Equality Court as the song was ruled not to be hate speech during last year’s ruling.
“The Equality Court ruled that ‘Dubula Ibhunu’ (Kill the Boer) does not constitute hate speech and should be protected under the rubric of freedom of speech,” the party said.
The EFF has referred those interested in studying the ruling to its statement released last year for further clarity on the matter.
AfriForum vowed to tackle Malema’s alleged hate speech chants through a leave to appeal against last year’s Equality Court ruling.
AfriForum said it would take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, indicated that the civil rights organisation would be appealing the ruling by the Equality Court, which found that the chant made popular by ANC leader Peter Mokaba was not hate speech, adding that the matter will be heard on September 4 in the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The singing of the song has also drawn criticism from Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk, who has slammed Malema for singing the song.
“They are openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa. Cyril Ramaphosa, why do you say nothing?” Musk said on Twitter.
However, a lot of EFF supporters dismissed Musk on the matter.
“I honestly thought you were much more perceptive than this. What a let-down! Even during apartheid days, this chant never drove us, the oppressed Africans, to kill the Euro-African (Boers) farmers. You need to withdraw these unthought-through and reckless remarks,” EFF member Mzwanele Manyi tweeted.
The Star