Latest news with #JuliusMalema
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
UK Denies Entry to South African Politician Over Extremist Views
A controversial South African politician, previously criticized by US President Donald Trump, was denied entry to the UK on the grounds that he had aired extremist views, including support for Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. Julius Malema received notification this week that his application for a UK visa had been rejected. He leads the Economic Freedom Fighters, South Africa's fourth-biggest political party, which advocates the nationalization of land, mines and banks.
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
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Julius Malema to honour fallen EFF members at mass funeral following tragic bus accident
Julius Malema is expected to return to KwaZulu-Natal for a mass funeral of party supporters who died in a bus and truck accident recently. Image: EFF EFF leader Julius Malema and the top leadership of the party are expected to return to KwaZulu-Natal to attend the mass funeral of the party members that died in a bus accident. Ten party supporters died and scores of others were injured when their bus collided with a long-haul truck near Vryheid, north of the province, on Monday night. They were returning from the party's Youth Day commemoration rally, which was held at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, south of Durban, on Monday. Malema's return to the province was confirmed by the party provincial secretary, Vukani Ndlovu, on Thursday. According to Ndlovu, the party's top leadership would attend the mass funeral over the weekend in remembrance of the fallen heroes and heroines. 'We are expecting our Commander-In-Chief, Julius Malema, and the top national leadership to come back to the province to honour the funeral of our tragically departed fighters.' He said the funeral will take place on Saturday in Vryheid, but the venue still needs to be confirmed, adding that the party is finalising the preparations, including securing a ground or an open space to erect marquees. The party will also carry all funeral costs. Ndlovu said 37 injured people have been discharged, except four who are still in the hospital. Provincial Transport MEC Siboniso Duma visited the scene with department officials, visiting the hospital to see the injured passengers as well as the families of the deceased. Although police are still investigating the cause of the accident, it is believed it was caused by poor visibility in the early hours of darkness, which may have led the bus driver to not be able to see the truck. The MEC said both the SAPS and Road Traffic Management Cooperation will conduct a comprehensive investigation to establish the cause of the accident; however, he received conflicting versions about what happened from the survivors. 'There are allegations that the bus driver tried to overtake. Other survivors have alleged that the bus driver fell asleep at the steering wheel. We do not want to speculate at this stage. We are confident that the investigation will shed light. Critically, we have in the past expressed our concerns about accidents involving trucks,' said Duma. The MEC said trucks are not supposed to be on this road in the first place and should be using the N2, adding that many innocent lives have been lost due to a huge number of trucks on the roads. The truck was believed to be headed to the Richards Bay port to offload coal for export. Over 303,000 trucks, or almost 6,000 trucks every week on average, used the Richards Bay port in the 2024 fiscal year, according to Transnet, Duma stated. He said it has been stated that the port's infrastructure was originally designed for a much smaller volume of trucks, approximately 200 per day. 'Working with the national government, we are doubling our efforts to ensure that we strengthen plans to move cargo from road to rail,' concludes Duma. [email protected]
The South African
a day ago
- Politics
- The South African
UK denied Malema visa due to extremism, support for Hamas
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says its leader Julius Malema will never change his revolutionary beliefs in exchange for a visa after the United Kingdom (UK) denied him one. This week, the UK Home Office Secretary confirmed the actual reasons why Malema was denied a visa to the country where he was set to address students at Cambridge University's 'Africa Together Conference' on 10 May. The EFF leader was informed just hours before he was supposed to depart for the UK that his visa could not be processed in time. In a letter dated Tuesday, 17 June, the UK Home Office said Malema has made controversial statements in the past, including calling for the slaughter of white people. During his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Oval Office last month, US President Donald Trump also played videos of Malema singing 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' and questioned why he had not been arrested. Despite this, the Constitutional Court maintained that the struggle song Kill the Boer, kill the farmer which Malema has sung in many political rallies, does not constitute hate speech. Moreover, Malema was denied a visa for declaring unwavering support for Hamas amid the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. 'I have considered that you made multiple statements which explicitly support Hamas and their terrorist activities. As noted, Hamas is proscribed in the UK. There is a chance that if you were allowed to enter the UK, you could repeat your past views on Hamas. Refusing your visa is the least intrusive method of protecting the UK to ensure that you cannot cause community tensions or engage in unacceptable behaviour. 'Refusing your visa does not infringe on your right to express your views, as you can do so via modern means of communication. A refusal will, however, prevent you from expressing any views in person, which will protect public safety and prevent disorder or crime.' In response to the letter, the EFF said the fact that the UK Home Office Secretary said Julius Malema's future visa applications will likely be denied because of his political views is not only cowardice but also stifling of democratic debate and a pathetic expression of intolerance for those who hold different views from the UK administration including its monarchy. 'For a nation that preaches its commitment to democracy, the UK has revealed itself as an intolerant bully that seeks to impose its beliefs on the world without challenge, while denying democratically elected leaders of other nations the opportunity to express themselves in their country,' the party said. 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.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
UK ban South Africa tough politician Julius Malema from di kontri
United Kingdom don permanently ban South African politician Julius Malema entry into di UK. Di UK Home Office tok say dem see di controversial politician 'non-conducive to di public good', as dem cite im support for Hamas and im past comments about white pipo for South Africa. Dis na di second time in two months UK go deny South Africa opposition leader entry into di kontri - but dem tell BBC say dis decision dey 'valid'. We still dey update dis tori!
