Julius Malema, head of South Africa’s radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), responded to President Donald Trump’s remarks about “genocide” on Wednesday by once again backing calls for violence against white farmers.
That same day, President Trump reportedly presented South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with footage showing Malema chanting slogans such as “Kill the Boer!”, “Kill the farmer!”, “Shoot to kill!”, and other inflammatory phrases at EFF rallies.
Ramaphosa attempted to convince Trump that Malema’s rhetoric was not indicative of government positions. However, Trump pushed back, asserting that South Africa had enacted legislation allowing for land expropriation without compensation, that the country practiced racially discriminatory policies, and that thousands of white farmers were seeking to immigrate to the United States.
Malema, expressing outrage on X, reaffirmed his support for land expropriation without compensation.
A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me. No significant amount of intelligence evidence has been produced about white genocide. We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency.
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) May 21, 2025
The EFF subsequently released a statement which read:
“Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer! Victory is Certain!”
The EFF’s Statement on the Joint Press Briefing by Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump Regarding Conditions in South Africa and CIC Julius Malema
-The EFF is proud that its legislative and political agenda, led by the President and Commander in Chief Julius Malema has shaken the… pic.twitter.com/0URc8yttGc
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 21, 2025
During their talks with Trump, Ramaphosa and his team attempted to downplay Malema and the EFF, describing them as a minor and fringe opposition group. Despite this, the EFF received close to 10% of the vote in South Africa’s last general election, putting it in fourth place just behind the similarly radical Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, which secured almost 15%. Both MK and EFF are vocal in their advocacy for land confiscation from white farmers.
According to Breitbart News, South African authorities have not prosecuted Malema for hate speech.
Share this post
Subscribe to our newsletter
Keep up with the latest blog posts by staying updated. No spamming: we promise.
