Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has defended the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant as a symbolic anti-apartheid expression, rejecting claims it incites violence against white farmers.
Mr Mbeki’s remarks come after a diplomatic row erupted when US President Donald Trump confronted South Africa’s leader with videos of opposition politician Julius Malema singing the song.
The former president told SABC News the chant should not be taken literally. “Chants of that kind in our tradition, in the African tradition, you don’t take them literally,” he said.
The song has become a major source of tension between Washington and Pretoria, with Mr Trump claiming it represents evidence of “white genocide” in South Africa.
During a heated White House meeting in May, Mr Trump played videos showing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema leading crowds in the apartheid-era struggle song “Dubul’ ibhunu” – which translates to “Kill the Boer”.
Mr Trump dimmed the Oval Office lights and screened the footage to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking why Mr Malema had not been arrested.
President Ramaphosa pushed back, explaining the videos did not represent government policy and that Mr Malema leads a minority opposition party that won just 9% of votes in last year’s elections.
Mr Mbeki drew parallels with other traditional chants, citing his own testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where he sang songs that were not meant to be interpreted literally.
“There’s no MK (uMkhonto we Sizwe) soldier who was ever instructed to go and kill a farmer just because they are Boer,” the former president said, referring to the ANC’s former armed wing.
However, Mr Mbeki has previously questioned why Mr Malema continues to sing the chant in democratic South Africa, saying it lacks political relevance in the post-apartheid era.
The song gained renewed prominence when Mr Malema led it at an EFF rally in Sharpeville on Human Rights Day in March 2025, sparking international criticism from figures including Tesla owner Elon Musk.
South African courts have repeatedly ruled the chant does not constitute hate speech. The Johannesburg High Court found in 2022 that civil rights group AfriForum had failed to prove the song incited violence against white farmers.
Mr Malema has defended the song as part of South Africa’s liberation heritage, telling supporters: “This song was approved by the Constitutional Court. We are a constitutional democracy.”
The diplomatic tensions have severely strained US-South Africa relations. Mr Trump has cut aid to the country, expelled its ambassador, and offered refuge to white Afrikaners, with 59 arriving in the United States last week.
The controversy reflects deeper tensions over land reform and racial inequality in South Africa, nearly three decades after the end of apartheid.
While South Africa has high murder rates, official statistics show the vast majority of victims are black. Police data indicates 12 farming-related murders occurred in the final quarter of 2024, including farm workers.
Mr Malema responded to the White House incident on social media, writing: “A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me. No significant amount of intelligent evidence has been produced about white genocide.”
The EFF leader has vowed to continue singing the chant despite the international pressure, saying it represents resistance to ongoing injustice.