Racial tensions in his native country sparked a reaction from billionaire Elon Musk as the leader dubbed “Hitler of South Africa” led a rally of thousands in a violent chant.
“…why do you say nothing?”
The apartheid government of South Africa may have ended with multiracial elections in 1994, but ethnic tensions have not abated. Instead, the founder of the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has continued to grow political favor in his country where he celebrated the 10th anniversary of his party with a call to kill white people.
“Kill the Boer, the farmer,” Malema could be heard chanting on stage to a crowd of thousands gathered at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, a reference to the white population descended from Dutch settlers.
South Africa’s black party sings “kill the Boer (Whites), kill the White farmer”. pic.twitter.com/JdPg9Okgnj
— Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) July 30, 2023
Video from the rally held Saturday began to circulate, garnering the attention of South African-born Musk who reacted to conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s post that warned, “This is all downstream from the rotten secular religion of wokeness and CRT plaguing America today. You have been warned.”
The tech entrepreneur replied with concern as he called out the president of both the Republic of South Africa and the African National Congress, “They are openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa. @CyrilRamaphosa, why do you say nothing?”
They are openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa. @CyrilRamaphosa, why do you say nothing?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2023
Saturday’s display, which included acting out shooting while making the sound of gunfire, was far from the first instance of hateful rhetoric and incitement from the leader known to some as the “Hitler of South Africa.”
Last year, Malema spoke with the BBC and said “When the unled revolution comes…the first target is going to be white people,” and added “black elites” would also be at risk.
‘White people will be the first target’: S. African leader warns of impending ‘violence’ because ‘the poor are getting poorer’ https://t.co/oBms1t82YK pic.twitter.com/z6P5itAbe3
— BizPac Review (@BIZPACReview) July 30, 2022
Though Ramaphosa appeared to remain silent on the issue of the EFF’s looming threat, with recent polls showing the radical left-wing party climbing from four percent in the 2019 election to a likely 15 percent in 2024 in the Western Cape, the head of the Democratic Alliance (DA) John Steenhuisen had no trouble condemning Malema.
The parliament leader reacted Monday with a post that read, “Julius Malema has resurrected the demon of hatred, division and ethnic violence in South Africa. He is determined to ignite the civil war our country narrowly averted in the 1990s. The DA will not look away. We are confronting this bloodthirsty tyrant head-on. #StopMalema.”
He then followed up with a video statement condemning “…the demon of the 1990s, which very nearly plunged this country into violence from which it would never have recovered…”
Julius Malema has resurrected the demon of hatred, division and ethnic violence in South Africa. He is determined to ignite the civil war our country narrowly averted in the 1990s. The DA will not look away. We are confronting this bloodthirsty tyrant head-on. #StopMalema pic.twitter.com/SRS1SnlvNg
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) July 31, 2023
The events of this past weekend have revealed that the demon of the 1990s, which very nearly plunged this country into violence from which it would never have recovered, is not dead and buried. Malema has resurrected it. Unite behind the DA to stop Malema. pic.twitter.com/gil6j0hBXw
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) August 1, 2023
Unconcerned about the optics of his EFF rally Saturday, Malema reacted to Musk’s post on social media and wrote to the billionaire, “O bolela masepa,” which translated roughly to “You are talking sh*t” as he argued that the words, part of an anti-apartheid song, were symbolic of the failures of the current government while those in favor of Malema slammed Musk as a racist due to his upbringing.
O bolela masepa
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) July 31, 2023
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