Remember the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant? AfriForum hails UK visa ban on Malema, calls for worldwide action

Lobby group AfriForum has applauded the UK’s decision to deny Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema a visa and called on the international community to impose further sanctions on him.

Malema, who was scheduled to speak at the Cambridge Conference this weekend, said the decision was an attack on his dissenting political views.

“Great news! This is only the beginning,” AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel wrote Wednesday on X, (formerly Twitter).

“@afriforum is intensifying its international campaign, calling on the global community to take punitive action against @Julius_S_Malema for inciting violence against Afrikaners and farmers with the ‘Kill the Boer’ chant,” he said.

“South African courts have failed to protect Afrikaners from calls for violence against them, and the @PresidencyZA (Cyril) Ramaphosa has refused to condemn the hateful chant. To ensure that Malema cannot act with impunity, international intervention is now necessary.”

Kriel claims Malema’s alleged UK entry ban is linked to his use of the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant, which the group has long opposed.

Malema has faced backlash for singing the song and for remarks encouraging land invasions. 

In March, US President Donald Trump criticised the chant after Elon Musk posted on X about a South African party promoting “white genocide.” 

Trump later shared the post on Truth Social, drawing praise from Kriel.

That same month, IOL News reported that the EFF has refused to stop singing the song despite mounting criticism. 

This comes after the Constitutional Court dismissed AfriForum’s bid to ban it, saying the case had no reasonable prospect of success.

On Wednesday, Malema expressed frustration after receiving a last-minute visa denial from British authorities, just hours before his flight from OR Tambo International Airport. 

He further added that he was assured by officials that the visa issue would be resolved by 3:30 pm, only to be met with disappointment at the final hour.

In his statement, Malema denounced the visa denial as “unacceptable and spineless,” suggesting a broader pattern of political silencing that targets those who challenge the status quo.

The Cambridge Conference, where Malema was scheduled to speak, is known for its focus on a variety of discourse and facilitating discussions on pressing world issues.

In November 2024, Botswana lifted its travel ban against Malema days before President Duma Boko's inauguration.

President Boko removed Malema’s name from the list of individuals barred from entering Botswana including former EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu, and businesswoman Bridgette Radebe amongst others.

Malema was banned from entering Botswana in 2011 after he made derogatory comments against former Botswana President Ian Khama.

At the time, Malema was the leader of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League when he, in his speech, criticised Khama’s government, labelling it a puppet regime.

He reportedly added that the ANC Youth League intended to establish a Botswana command team, which would work towards uniting all oppositional forces in Botswana “to oppose the puppet regime of Botswana, led by the Botswana Democratic Party”.

The red beret leader even threatened a possible coup to topple the Khama government. Because of the diplomatic rift caused by these comments, Malema's visa was restricted by the Botswana government, thereby preventing him from entering the country.

Malema's expulsion from the ANC in 2012 was partly because he threatened to bring about regime change in Botswana.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics