Elon Musk once again walked into South Africa’s politics, tweeting on Sunday about “a major political party… it is actively promoting white genocide.”
At a rally on Friday, Musk shared a link to a video in which EFF leader Julius Malema sings Dabul (“Kill Boer”), with Musk expressing his anger at “all arenas chanting the killing of white people.”
President Donald Trump, who counts Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, as his close ally, shared a screenshot in a post about True Society. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote his tweet that he had denounced the song as a “hymn that incites violence,” urging the South African government to “protect Africans and other disadvantaged minorities,” and invited Africans to settle in the United States.
But what is this song, and does it have multiple interpretations? It constitutes hate speech and who is Julius Malema? And why is the Trump administration so worried about South Africa?
What is the song?
Isixhosa Strugfy Song Dubul ‘Ibhunu – The title literally means “killing Bohr”, but also “killing Africans” – appeared in the 1980s. The song’s title is often translated as “Kill the White Farmer.”
Bohr is the Afrikaans word for farmers, and on one level it simply means farmers of all races. However, since the 19th century (when Britain fought two wars with Bohr), it meant “African man.”
The lyrics of the song essentially repeat the words of the title – “Shoot the Boer” advertised by Infinitum, Boer describes as “co-sick” and “dog.”
“It was part of a theatre of a massive rebellion,” said historian Thula Simpson. “That’s how I’m remembered to this day.”
Simpson added that the song is mostly accompanied by toiting, a protest dance synonymous with black political rally in South Africa, and is often interrupted by people pretending to photograph Kalashnikov’s rifles.
Despite its highly controversial nature, the song continues to be sung in democratic South Africa, particularly by Malema and former president Jacob Zuma. His version is completely different.
The ANC has ruled South Africa since its first democratic election in 1994, but has seen its support plummet in recent years amid allegations of corruption, conflict and broken promises. Last year, it lost its majority for the first time and now has ruled in a coalition with various political parties that have long been opposed to the policy.
“By singing, Malema tries to present herself as a real ANC,” Simpson explained. “It’s all about overwhelming the ANC from the left.”
Who is Julius Malema?
Malema shot prominently in 2008 as president of the ANC Youth League when he vehemently defended then-President Zuma, who was being charged with corruption. “We’re ready to die for Zuma,” Malema famously told Larry. “We’re ready to take our weapons and kill Zuma.”
By 2012, Malema had transformed into Zuma’s biggest critic, and after his expulsion from the ANC he formed the EFF as a populist, distant leftist movement.
He first sang Dubul’ Ibhunu in 2010, but still the leader of Ancyl, but it became something of an EFF calling card. To commemorate the Sharpville massacre on March 21, 1960, his latest production – currently opposed – came to the rally on Friday.
Since 1994, South Africa has marked March 21 as Human Rights Day. “An opportunity to encourage advances in human rights for all,” says President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, Malema refuses this, saying that the holidays should be called “The Day of the Sharpville Massacre” and because they “damaged the memories of fallen soldiers who died for our rights as black people” to give them other names.
“Whatever your opinion of Malema,” said veteran political commentator Stephen Grutz, “His unique selling point is that he is the loudest voice against SA’s anti-black racism.”
Is this song really a call for white genocide?
Malema has repeatedly stated in both the courtroom and interviews that he “is not seeking a white massacre, at least for now.”
And the facts bring this view. Nothing was close to attempts at white South African genocide.
While Trump and his supporters often claim that white South African farmers are murdered in thousands, statistics provided by the Afriforme and Transvaal Agricultural Coalition (both a group sympathetic to white farmers) show that around 60 farmers of all races are killed annually. This is a country that sees 19,000 murders each year.
Anecdotal evidence presents the same conclusion.
Grootes first sang Malema in 2010 was one of the “Five White People” in the audience.
Both Malema and Afriforum – the African rights group that recently sent a delegation to the Trump White House to seek his support for South African government policies – used the song as a rally point for their (opposite) agenda.
This makes a more moderate ANC difficult. “Ramaphosa wouldn’t sing the song himself,” Simpson said. “But he’s not condemning it. His silence means something.”
Can I sing legally?
Malema has had to defend his decision to sing songs in multiple trials since 2010. Many of the previous rulings opposed him, finding that the lyrics of the song constituted “hate speech” and were not protected by the right to freedom of speech enshrined in the South African constitution.
However, recently the tide has come to his advantage, and Afriform, who challenged the right to sing the song in 2022 by the Johannesburg High Court, sang it in the discovery that Malema could not prove to be incited to “the descent of white African South Africans.”
This view was confirmed in 2024 by the Supreme Court of Appeals. This ruled that “when Mr. Malema sang Debra Yvene, he would be grateful that he had not actually wanted to be shot at the descent of the farmers, white Africans, and that he had not wanted to romanticize the violence that opposed the agricultural attacks.”
“They will understand that he used the song of his historic struggle as a provocative measure to advance the party’s political agenda.
Why do Musk, Trump and Rubio take care of them?
This song is one of several South African political hotcakes. Others include policies of uncompensated expropriation and black economic empowerment – inflamed Trump’s Maga movement. Trump also spoke about the 2018 “massive killing of farmers” in South Africa.
“Trump and Musk will have a specific response if they hang one of these issues. South Africa has become a useful foil in the American domestic culture war.”
Interestingly, Musk and Trump’s reaction to “kill Bohr” is more extreme than Afriforum.
“When Trump spoke about the murder of farmers in 2018, Afriforum was keen to separate himself from the idea that there was a white genocide,” Simpson said. “They are so aware that they are accused of all sorts of misinformation, they have to draw pictures in the lines. But there are no such restrictions on Trump and Musk.”
But for Musk and Trump, Groot suggested that the equation is simpler. “South Africa is the embodiment of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion),” he said. “Of course, Trump hates us.”