AfriForum must return to court if it remains troubled by Julius Malema’s singing of “Kill the Boer,” according to Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa. The presidency maintains that the matter was resolved in South African courts, which ruled the song does not constitute hate speech.

Magwenya’s statement came after AfriForum’s CEO, Kallie Kriel, sent a letter to Ramaphosa on Tuesday, following Malema and EFF supporters chanting the song on Human Rights Day in Sharpeville. Kriel urged the president to publicly denounce “Kill the Boer,” arguing it targets the white minority and farmers, and to classify farm murders as a priority crime while enhancing rural safety through community structures like farm watches.

Magwenya rejected AfriForum’s appeal out of hand:

“What difference does this letter make? Their (AfriForum’s) loyalty lies with foreign leaders and countries they visit to spread their racially charged lies about South Africa. One day they campaign for sanctions against ANC leaders, and the next day they target the same president they treat with racist contempt. It is irrelevant whether the president received the letter or not. They have ignored the official crime statistics that painted a true picture of murders in South Africa in general and proved that there are no mass murders of farmers in South Africa. Pres. Ramaphosa was elected by the majority of voters in this country. He will dedicate his energy to serving all the people of South Africa in line with his constitutional obligations, and where there are grievances, he will openly engage in constructive dialogue to resolve those issues. What he will not do is dance to the tune of an organization that consistently tries to divide this country along racial lines, an organization that is against transformation and that aims to damage our country’s image abroad.”

Donald Trump halted aid to South Africa and offered Afrikaners refugee status over concerns like the Expropriation Act. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the song as inciting violence, pledging support for affected minorities.

The VF+ echoed AfriForum’s stance, criticizing the government and Human Rights Commission’s silence:

“When someone says or sings that people of a certain group must be shot and killed, it is and remains hate speech, divisive, and absolutely unacceptable, especially in a country where significant racial tension is experienced. The VF Plus has always condemned the singing of the song ‘Kill the Boer’ in the strongest terms and has consistently shared the public’s frustration over the silence of the government and the country’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) about it. There is no place for such a song in South Africa. A threat is surely measured by how seriously the recipient perceives it and the reality they experience. The country’s history of farm murders leaves no doubt about the reality of such threats and how threatening and offensive white people in the country experience it.”

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s was also taken to task by Afriforum, for a misrepresentation of the content of a meeting on the 18th of March between AfriForum and the South African Police Service (SAPS), which was called after Minister Mchunu tried to downplay the seriousness of farm attacks.

During this meeting, AfriForum and members of the SAPS discussed the crime statistics, and disputed their methodology. AfriForum states that the Minister lied by claiming they spread claims of a "white genocide", and that they backed down in the face of SAPS official crimes statistics.

Jacques Brooderyk, spokesman for AfriForum's safety and security initiative, released a short video in response to Magwenya's claims:

"The spokesperson for the presidency today made some remarks  regarding a recent meeting AfriForum had with the South African Police Service regarding farm murders for the 3rd quarter of 2024. It's very interesting that the minister chose the path of deceit by openly lying, about what was said and discussed in that meeting.

Now, I was in that meeting, and AfriForum never once conceded that the minister's statistics were correct. In fact, we differed on quite a few of the stated farm attacks - whether they were farm attacks or not - we also had lengthy discussions about the definition of a farm attack, as described in the South African Police Services own Rural Safety Strategy. And we agreed to have further discussions, and to continually discuss these topics, and to have open communication channels. It was a very positive and uplifting meeting, and AfriForum made great strides in building relationships with the SAPS at an operational level.

It is therefore interesting to note that the Minister is abviously trying to sabotage this relationship. It is very dishonest, it is not productive, and it doesn't help the citizens of this country."