Watch: South Africa’s Julius Malema Calls to ‘Kill’ for the ‘Revolution’

South Africa’s Julius Malema, leader of a radical opposition party called the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), exhorted a crowd at his party’s provincial conference in the Western Cape last week to be prepared to “kill” as part of the anticipated “revolution.”

Malema, a charismatic firebrand who launched the EFF after being expelled from the ruling African National Congress, is known for his inflammatory statements against white South Africans, as well as for his adamant nationalist and socialist political policies.

In his remarks, he attempted to justify killing by citing the example of Nelson Mandela, who formed an armed organization, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), after peaceful efforts to remove apartheid were crushed by the white regime in the 1960s.

However, Mandela suspended the “armed struggle” after the regime released him and agreed to negotiate a transition to democracy. The system against which Malema urges “revolution” is not a minority regime, but a multi-racial constitutional democracy.

He said:

You must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point there must be killing, because the killing is part of a revolutionary act.

[Applause]

Why did Mandela take up a gun? He was the first soldier in Umkhonto we Sizwe. Why did he take up a gun? Was he taking a gun to distribute roses? He took up a gun because the revolution reached a point where there is no longer an alternative but to kill. Why are you scared? That anything that stands in the way of the revolution — it must be eliminated in the best interests of the revolution, and you must never be scared to do that.

[Applause]

The founding manifesto of the EFF says we will take power by all means necessary. And therefore, revolutionaries, when confronted by that situation, should never think twice. Cowards are not for the revolution. The EFF must be known, that it is not a playground for racists, that any racist that plays next to the EFF, and threatens and beat up the membership and the leadership of the EFF, that is an application to meet your maker, with immediate effect.

AfriForum, a civil rights organization representing Afrikaners and other minority groups, has asked the South African Human Rights Commission to investigate Malema over his remarks. AfriForum recently lost a case against Malema over alleged hate speech, in which it sued him for singing an inflammatory song from the “struggle” era known as “Kill the Boer.” It has appealed that decision.

The South African Constitution guarantees free speech, except for “advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.” That qualification was deemed necessary, given South Africa’s long and still-simmering history of conflict between racial and ethnic groups.

Malema may hold the balance of power after the country’s 2024 elections, in the event that the ruling party falls below a majority threshold, as polls suggest that it could do for the first time since the first fully democratic elections in 1994. Some have even speculated that he could use his leverage to become president of the country.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.