'Ramaphosa violating Genocide Convention on'Kill the Boer'
Ramaphosa said that 'Kill The Boer' is a 'liberation chant' and should not be taken literally.
Lobby group AfriForum claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa's 'refusal' to condemn the chant 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' reflects double standards.
Ramaphosa on Tuesday said that 'Kill The Boer' is a 'liberation chant' and should not be taken literally.
It came a week after US President Donald Trump confronted the South African president by playing videos of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer,' using them to support his unfounded claim of genocide against whites in South Africa.
In response, AfriForum argued that the ANC-led government's defence of the slogan, while passing judgment on similar rhetoric elsewhere in the world, highlighted inconsistencies in its interpretation of the United Nations' Genocide Convention.
'Double standards'
The lobby group based its statement on evidence presented by Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, a member of South Africa's legal team, who led the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2024.
'Ngcukaitobi argued that 'the intentional failure of the government of Israel to condemn, prevent and punish such genocidal incitement constitutes in itself a grave violation of the Genocide Convention,'' the lobby group said.
'Ngcukaitobi further argued that 'this failure to condemn, prevent and punish such speech by the government has served to normalise genocidal rhetoric' and has posed 'extreme danger for Palestinians within Israeli society,'' AfriForum said.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel described this as a case of 'double standard'.
'The ANC-led government's defence of the 'Kill the Boer' slogan, while passing judgment about similar calls elsewhere in the world as an intent to commit genocide, is evidence of double standards in their interpretation of the Genocide Convention.
Kriel pointed out that 'farm murder deniers' are trying 'very hard to downplay the serious nature of farm murders' after Trump's meeting with Ramaphosa.
'AfriForum has always focused on the serious nature of farm murders rather than engaging in semantic debates about the term 'genocide' but believes it has now become necessary to test the actions of Ramaphosa's government against their own standards regarding the meaning of genocide'.
ALSO READ: Piers Morgan slams Ramaphosa for defending 'Kill the Boer' chant [VIDEO]
AfriForum defeat
In March, AfriForum suffered a final blow in its attempt to have the controversial chant 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' declared as hate speech.
The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) delivered a brief ruling dismissing AfriForum's application for leave to appeal.
The Apex concluded that the application 'bears no reasonable prospects of success'.
ALSO READ: WATCH: 'Dim the lights' — Ramaphosa pokes fun at Trump meeting
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
an hour ago
- eNCA
Ramaphosa calls for diplomatic resolution
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Israel-Iran conflict should be resolved through dialogue. He's concerned about the uncertainty around an increase in global fuel prices. "We want to continue calling on all actors that dialogue, peace-making is the only way in which to solve problems," Ramaphosa said.
Daily Maverick
4 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
As Constitutional Court turns 30, Ramaphosa vows support for judicial independence
President Cyril Ramaphosa joined dignitaries and judicial leaders at Constitutional Hill to honour the court's legacy of championing rights and shaping democracy, on the 30th anniversary of South Africa's (SA's) Constitutional Court. When former President Nelson Mandela opened the doors of the Constitutional Court for the first time on 14 February 1995, he reminded the founding bench of their duty, saying: 'Yours is the most noble task that could fall to any legal person. In the last resort, the guarantee of the fundamental rights and freedoms for which we have fought so hard lies in your hands. We look to you to honour the Constitution and the people it represents.'' On Friday, 20 June 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa, members of the government, former and current chief justices, and dignitaries from around the world, gathered at Constitutional Hill. To commemorate 30 years since the establishment of the apex court and each landmark judgment which pushed SA closer to turning the Constitution into a living document. Delivering his keynote address, Ramaphosa said that since ConCourt was established, it has handed down judgments that have had a profound impact on the law in SA, including the abolishment of the death penalty in 1995, the 2002 right to health care and access to HIV/Aids treatment, the 2004 right of access to social security by permanent residents, among many others. While Ramaphosa praised the ConCourt for its meaningful work over the last 30 years, remaining unshaken when embroiled in political pressure and controversies, the president acknowledged that 'the advancement of socio-economic rights is not as far as we wish it to be, particularly with respect to housing and basic services'. Referencing the landmark Grootboom judgment, in which Irene Grootboom and her family's right to access adequate housing was affirmed by the ConCourt, Ramaphosa said it was a blight on SA's hard-won democracy that Grootboom died without her dream of a decent house being fulfilled. 'Deepening respect for constitutionalism across all sectors must start with the state. 'We must acknowledge the troubling irony of lauding the Constitutional Court's progressive judgments on one hand, especially on socio-economic rights, with the reality that the state apparatus has in many of these cases had to be compelled by this very court to fulfil its obligations,' said the president. 'Our people should not have to resort to litigation to have their rights realised, and this is the paramount consideration.' More support Ramaphosa said the state had on many occasions failed to support the court adequately and vowed that this would change. To this end, Ramaphosa vowed that the government would increase its support to the judiciary to ensure that it could execute its duties independently, effectively and with dignity. 'Government must and will provide a range of institutional, infrastructure, financial, administrative, and legal support. The support is crucial to maintaining judicial independence, which is a cornerstone of democracy and the rule of law,' he said. The challenges faced by ConCourt are well documented, especially concerning finalising matters against targets. The Constitutional Court Review found that over the years, the court's workload had increased significantly, which has led to longer processing times for judgments. The government is working to solve this. Ramaphosa said that funding for the ConCourt was mentioned for the first time in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's recent Budget speech, with money being allocated to enhance access to justice and improve court services. 'We reaffirm our commitment to providing all the necessary support to our courts as they administer justice. At our meeting with the judiciary recently, we committed to taking steps to advance the independence of the judiciary and the future of our courts' administration,' he said. Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the commemoration, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, who is leading the commemoration, said Ramaphosa's announcement was a long time coming. 'We are quite happy, naturally, about this development,' said Maya. 'It was understood that the rendering of the judiciary to be fully independent would happen in two stages, the first one starting in 2013. It was anticipated that the finalisation of the process would be put into place soon thereafter, but it has dragged and dragged for well over a decade. It's never too late to do the right thing, here we are now, and moves are afoot,' Chief Justice Maya said. Targeting full judicial independence Maya said that the judiciary is in a hurry to finally obtain full judicial independence, jokingly adding that they would not allow the president and his team to delay the process any further. Standing next to Maya, Ramaphosa said that a joint committee had been appointed to work on the modalities, and everything that needs to be in place to ensure that the judiciary can execute its role without any hindrance. 'Its own independence as an entity has always been secured, it's just been the support that it needs from government that we are now putting in place,' Ramaphosa said. DM
The South African
10 hours ago
- The South African
Duduzile claps back at Floyd Shivambu's 'takes drugs' comments
Duduzile Zuma-Samudla has finally responded to shady comments made by fellow MK Party MP, Floyd Shivambu. In a press briefing on Thursday, 19 June, the former secretary general accused his party nemesis of 'taking drugs'. Floyd was effectively demoted after the party condemned his visit to the wanted Malawian preacher, Shepard Bushiri, last month. On her Instagram Story, Duduzile shared a clip of herself laughing with EFF President Julius Malema. Like Duduzile, Floyd Shivambu threw Malema under the bus, claiming the latter was running a 'cult.' The daughter of Jacob Zuma captioned the clip: 'It's politics after all'. Image via Instagram: @duduzilezuma_sambudla Like Duduzile, Julius Malema has also subtly responded to Floyd Shivambu's comments. After the press conference, the 'CIC' reacted to Floyd's criticism of the EFF and those who supported him. Malema posted a clip of EFF top brass on X: 'The leadership we have is quite alright.' During the briefing, Floyd addressed several topics, including an interest in possibly establishing his own political party. The former MK Party secretary-general also used the opportunity to making shady comments about the ANC, which he labelled as 'directionless' and the EFF, which he called a 'cult'. Referring to his own party, Floyd made a comment many believe was directed at Duduzile, the daughter of the MK Party founder, Jacob Zuma. He said, 'When you raise issues internally, you don't need to gossip about them anywhere. All the issues and concerns I had about MK, I raised internally, even against all odds. When there is an opportunity to raise an issue about wrongdoings. I clearly speak against untouchables who take drugs, tweet at night, and insult us.' He added: 'We confront them and say 'What is this about?'' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
