South African opposition leader, Julius Malema, has been found guilty of hate speech by the country’s equality court over remarks he made during a 2022 rally, a ruling that has reignited debate about race, politics, and free expression in the post-apartheid nation.
Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), made the comments after an incident in which a white man allegedly assaulted an EFF supporter.
At the rally, Malema declared, “No white man is going to beat me up… you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point, there must be killing.”
In its ruling, the equality court said the comments “demonstrated an intent to incite harm.”
“Whilst calling out someone who behaves as a racist may be acceptable, calling for them to be killed is not. And calling for someone to be killed because they are a racist who has acted violently, is an act of vigilantism and an incitement of the most extreme form of harm possible,” the court stated.
The case was brought following complaints by the South African Human Rights Commission and by a private individual who alleged they felt threatened by the remarks.
The EFF, however, dismissed the judgement, saying the court had deliberately misread Malema’s rhetoric.
“The ruling is fundamentally flawed and deliberately misreads both the context and the meaning of the speech. It assumes that the reasonable listener is incapable of understanding metaphor, revolutionary rhetoric or the history of liberation struggles,” the party said in a statement.
Malema, 44, has long been a polarising figure in South African politics. His party came fourth in last year’s parliamentary elections, but his fiery speeches often spark controversy in a country still grappling with racial divisions nearly 31 years after the end of apartheid.
Malema’s rhetoric has also drawn criticism abroad. In June, he was denied entry into the United Kingdom, after the Home Office said his presence was “non-conducive to the public good,” citing his vocal support for Hamas and previous comments that appeared to endorse violence against white South Africans.
The EFF condemned the UK’s move as “cowardice” and an attempt to stifle democratic debate.
Malema has also been criticised by US President Donald Trump, who once confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa by playing a video of Malema chanting the struggle song “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” at rallies. Afrikaner groups have sought to ban the song, but South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that such chants are part of political expression and not to be taken literally.
