Latest news with #EqualityCourt
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
No, Malema, the UK is not a bully
The UK is not bullying Malema by refusing him entry. Sovereign nations decide who crosses their borders based on national interest. Surely, EFF leader Julius Malema could not have been surprised that the government of the United Kingdom turned down his request for a visitor's visa? Much as he might weep and wail about the colonial masters again abusing African people, the reality is that London is quite entitled to decide who it allows through its borders. And, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government, to allow Malema to enter the UK 'would not be conducive to the public good'. Apart from the UK government's concern that he had refused, in a 2022 Equality Court hearing in South Africa, to commit to not repeating calls for the 'slaughter of white people', the Home Office also noted he had voiced support for the Palestinian organisation Hamas. ALSO READ: Banned again: Malema's presence not 'conducive to the public good', say UK authorities The organisation is classed as 'terrorist' in the UK and expressing support for it is a crime, as Liam O'Hanna, a member of Irish rap group Kneecap, found out when he was charged this week for a terrorism offence after allegedly waving a Hamas flag at a concert. The mood of much of the West would have been influenced by footage US President Donald Trump showed recently of Malema's rendition of Kill the Boer. This visa refusal probably won't be the last for Malema.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Chaeli Mycroft triumphs in her seventh Comrades Marathon, pushing for wheelchair inclusion
Chantal Fisher, Chaeli Mycroft and Jerome Swartz after completing the 98th Comrades Marathon on Sunday. Image: Supplied Michaela 'Chaeli' Mycroft, 30, is on course to obtain her green number after finishing the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon with seconds to spare on Sunday. Chaeli, a wheelchair athlete living with cerebral palsy, braved the cold, wind, and hot weather from Pietermaritzburg to Durban to claim her seventh Comrades finish. Chaeli, who founded the Chaeli Campaign with her mother Zelda Mycroft, served legal papers on the Comrades Marathon in 2016 because their rules stated no wheelchairs or mechanical devices. After two months and then threatening to take them to the Equality Court, they relented. Also in 2016, Chaeli and another woman, Anita Engelbrecht, who is also an assisted athlete, were the first two wheelchair athletes to participate and finish the Comrades. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Chaeli is the first wheelchair athlete in the event's history to finish the Comrades and also the first to receive a back-to-back medal. This means she did that in 2016 and 2017,' Mycroft said. She said Chaeli has competed in every marathon since then, but in 2019, she did not finish after missing the halfway cut-off in Drummond. On Sunday, Chaeli finished her seventh Comrades, making it a total of seven finishes. 'On Sunday, she had two running partners with her. Her long-term running partner, Chantal Fisher. This was the fourth Comrades that Chantal has done with Chaeli. And the first time with Jerome Swartz. This was his ninth Comrades. 'Jerome has already said that he wants to run with Chaeli next year when he runs to get his green number,' Mycroft said. 'Chaeli is set on getting her green number because we have fought long and hard for the inclusion of wheelchair athletes in the Comrades. The only way for her to be assured of it being a permanent thing is for her to get her green number. So it is her goal to get her green number in 2028.' Mycroft explained that wheelchair athletes started at 5am, 45 minutes ahead of the field. So they had two hours in the dark, and when you leave Maritzburg, the temperatures dip when you go out into the countryside. She said for Chaeli, Sunday's down run alternated between freezing and very hot. 'The first two hours were extremely cold, and then hot and windy, and the first half was amazing. They were hoping for a bronze, and in the first half of the marathon, up to Bothas Hill, they were ahead of schedule. Then Bothas Hill, they did more than 11 minutes a kilometre, so that set them back,' Mycroft said. 'Then the last half, where they were hoping to go faster, it was nine minutes a kilometre. This meant they had to do the last five kilometres in 30 minutes. 'They came in with 24 seconds to spare. It was down to the wire.' Back: Jerome Swartz, Chantal Fisher, Marissa Groenewald and Shaun Black. Front: Chaeli Mycroft and Hayden Driemeyer. Image: Supplied Mycroft, who sees herself as the archivist for wheelchair inclusion, said she has the history of all the wheelchair athletes since 2016. 'There are only seven of them. Two self-propelled wheelchair athletes and five assisted athletes have participated in the last nine years,' Mycroft said. 'Chaeli is the only wheelchair athlete to have done them all.' Chaeli is also an author and activist. In 2023, she received the Forbes Woman Africa Young Achievers Award.
![‘Kill The Boer' sung by ‘African Americans'?[video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesouthafrican.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FA-viral-video-showed-a-group-of-African-Americans-singing-Kill-The-Boer.jpg.optimal.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![‘Kill The Boer' sung by ‘African Americans'?[video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthesouthafrican.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
The South African
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The South African
‘Kill The Boer' sung by ‘African Americans'?[video]
A viral video showed a group of 'African Americans' singing 'Kill The Boer'. Images via X : @ali_naka/ @effsouthafrica A clip of a group of black people singing Kill The Boer – presumably in the US – has gone viral on social media. Recently sung by Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema, the anti-Apartheid song has been accused of having 'racist' connotations. Last month, US President Donald Trump publicly condemned the 'call to action'. Pretoria-born billionaire businessman and UK media personality Piers Morgan have also criticised the song. 'KILL THE BOER' SUNG ABROAD On social media, a clip of black people singing along to Kill The Boer has gone viral. In the video, the crowd, many of whom wear traditional African garments, are seen dancing and singing the tune to the anti-struggle song. Although some claim that the people in the video were African Americans, it's unconfirmed if the video was taken in the US. However, a flag representing Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) – an organisarion celebrating black Americans in the US – was spotted in the background. The video has many social media users questioning Julius Malema's influence as far as the US. 'FREEDOM OF SPEECH' According to a 2022 ruling, the Equality Court found that Kill The Boer was not considered hate speech. In March, the Constitutional Court – the highest in South Africa – rejected AfriForum's appeal, stating that the song deserved to be protected under freedom of speech. Julius Malema sings Kill The Boer at a political rally. This comes after US President Donald Trump called for his arrest. Images via X: @effsouthafrica WHO SANG IT FIRST? Kill The Boer – titled Dubul' ibhunu – made headlines when anti-Apartheid activist Peter Mokaba sang the song at a memorial for his assassinated comrade, Peter Mokaba, in 1993. It was also sung by former South African President Jacob Zuma during many ANC events. Over the years, Malema has also sang the controversial song at various EFF political rallies. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON 'KILL THE BOER' 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.
IOL News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
10, 9, 8 . . . South Africa's slide into decline
THABO Mbeki endured eight days in September, a turbulent period in 2008 that led to his ousting as President of the Republic. With Jacob Zuma, it was the so-called nine wasted years, a presidency characterised by state capture and economic decline. For President Cyril Ramaphosa it was a case of ten minutes of shame, and it happened on the world stage. The meeting between Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump started well. It should have been a sign. When it is too good to be true, it probably isn't. Ramaphosa must have been nervous but, for the first 20 minutes, he came across as relaxed, in control and, at times, even jovial. He had clearly learnt from the ill-fated encounter Volodymyr Zelenskyy had with Trump. In contrast to the Ukraine president, Ramaphosa, went out of his way to thank Trump and praise him. And then, about 20 minutes into the meeting, Trump asked for the lights to be dimmed. What followed was a video of Julius Malema addressing supporters. In a voice that is now familiar to most South Africans, he chanted 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' and spoke about expropriating land of white farmers without compensation. The mood in the room changed. The chant was now exposed to a global audience. There was no context and, as a result, it came across as crude. Inciteful. Shameful. Ramaphosa wiped his face. He was probably hot in his suit and tie. There were also bright camera lights, and the room was packed with people. But those who study body language claim it could also be a sign of anxiety – perhaps a desire to wipe away a problem or stress. But this problem was not going away. The chant was first uttered by Peter Mokaba, a former president of the ANC Youth League. He did so while addressing a rally following the murder of Chris Hani by right-wing whites. The chant has always been contentious. But the Equality Court found it did not constitute hate speech and should be protected as freedom of speech. Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum did approach the Constitutional Court to appeal the matter, but the court found the application had no reasonable prospect of success. As a result, Malema cannot be arrested for singing the song, as suggested by Trump. Ramaphosa did point out that official government policy was completely against what Malema said. But what Ramaphosa didn't say was that neither he nor others in the ANC have done enough to distance themselves from the chant. After the voice of Julius Malema, came another voice well known to most South Africans – Jacob Zuma. These days, he is the leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party. But not too long ago he was the leader of the ANC and President of the Republic. In the recordings played, he too had a go at white farmers. When the video ended, US Vice President JD Vance handed his president a thick stack of pages that reportedly depicted the brutality of the attacks on white farmers. The DA's John Steenhuisen, in his role as agriculture minister in Ramaphosa's executive, put up a spirited defence: 'They are both leaders of opposition minority parties,' he said. 'The reason my party, the DA, chose to join hands with Mr Ramaphosa's party was precisely to keep those people out of power. We cannot have these people sitting in the Union Buildings making decisions.' But by then the world had realised that not all was well in South Africa. At best we are a violent bunch. At worst we are a racist nation. In those ten minutes, South Africa had been exposed. In his own unique rhetoric, Trump summed it up: 'There are many bad things happening in many countries, but this is very bad – very, very bad!' It didn't matter whether Trump had the full facts or not. He had enough to paint a picture, and it wasn't a rosy one. Anyone wanting to visit the country or invest in it would have been forced to reconsider. Trump then invited three men he knew and clearly admired to say a few words. They were businessman Johann Rupert and golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. It was ironic that it took an American president to invite the men to speak because it was a courtesy their own government had not offered them – certainly not in recent years and not in public. Yet these were no ordinary men. Rupert is a celebrated businessman who is one of the richest people in South Africa. Els and Goosen are both masters at the game of golf. The second irony was that while the voices of Malema and Zuma have become so well known, the voices of Rupert, Els and Goosen have rarely been heard in South Africa. Yet, they are the kind of people whose opinion should be sought and whose success we should emulate. It speaks to the society we have become. It is one where those who seek to antagonise and break apart become popular, while those who seek to build are ignored. It is a society that places credibility on those who shout the loudest and avoids those with integrity. In this society, mediocrity is celebrated and merit shunned. It is no wonder then that South Africa finds itself in an economic mess. The economy is barely growing and certainly not at levels that will create meaningful jobs. For more than a decade and half the country has been sliding into economic decline. The projections for the coming year are dismal. Economic growth is projected at 1.4% with slight increases in 2026 and 2027 but nowhere near enough to create meaningful jobs for a growing population. The solution to the problem emerged in the White House get together. 'We need more foreign investment in our country,' urged Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi. "If the South African economy does not grow, the culture of lawlessness and dependency will grow,' said Rupert, mirroring the sentiments of organised labour. It means that if our president wants to change the trajectory of economic growth, it cannot be more of the same. There are a few realities that must be acknowledged. No one will invest in a place where they must give away a chunk of a business they have nurtured. No one will invest in a country where they can't hire the best talent for the job. No one will put their money where the government can take away their land for nil compensation. And no one will invest in a place they don't feel safe in. If the South African government is to change the fortunes of this country, it needs to ditch broad based black economic empowerment. People need to be hired on the basis on merit and not skin colour. Land expropriation without compensation needs to be reconsidered. Above all, South Africa needs to make investors feel safe. But the clock is ticking. This Government of National Unity is at the end of their first year of a five-year term in office. As Steenhuisen warned: 'This government, working together, needs the support of our allies around the world, to grow our economy and shut the door forever on that rabble.' That 'rabble' is the EFF and MK. Combined they got one out of every four votes cast in the last general elections. If this government cannot improve the fortunes of ordinary South Africans, support for the so-called rabble will rise and Constitutional Democracy may be done for. Then, what Donald Trump thinks South Africa is, will become our reality.10, 9, 8, 7, 6 5, 4 …..
TimesLIVE
26-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
'I will not be intimidated by Trump': Malema vows to continue singing 'Kill the Boer' chant
EFF leader Julius Malema says he will not stop singing the controversial 'Kill the Boer' song. During a recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump played a clip of Malema chanting 'Kill the Boer' and questioned why he hadn't been arrested. Addressing EFF supporters in the Free State before a local government by-election, Malema said the song is a part of the country's history. 'I will not be silenced. 'The courts have said there's nothing wrong with the song. This is not my song, I did not compose the song. The [anti-apartheid] struggle heroes composed this song and all I'm trying to do is to defend the legacy of our struggle. This is the heritage of our struggle.' The Equality Court, Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court have all ruled the song is not hate speech. Malema criticised Ramaphosa for not adequately explaining the context of the song. 'When Trump asked him why he's not arresting me, he couldn't respond to the simple fact that the song was approved by the Constitutional Court. 'I will never be intimidated by Donald Trump. They were speaking about me in that meeting in the White House. If they were not gossiping about me they should have called me into that meeting; I would have answered everything that Trump wanted from us. 'Farmers are not only white; there are also black farmers. Ramaphosa is a farmer himself; why did he not present that fact to Trump?'
