Ramaphosa Responds to Trump on Malema Arrest Demands
President Cyril Ramaphosa has firmly defended South Africa’s sovereignty in response to calls by former U.S. President Donald Trump for the arrest of EFF leader Julius Malema over the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant.
Ramaphosa addressed the issue during the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) conference in Cape Town, emphasising that decisions about arrests and legal matters remain internal and independent of foreign influence.
The president reiterated that South Africa operates under its own constitutional framework, and legal decisions are informed by its courts.
He described the chant as a liberation song rooted in the country’s struggle history, and not a literal call to violence. South Africa’s Constitutional Court has previously ruled on the matter, finding that the chant does not incite violence as alleged by its critics.
Tensions escalated after Trump confronted Ramaphosa during a meeting at the White House, citing a video of Malema using the chant in Parliament and accusing the South African government of turning a blind eye to what he described as the targeting of Afrikaner farmers.
The discussion, which was intended to address growing diplomatic and economic concerns, took a sharp turn as Trump demanded Malema’s arrest. Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen, also present, shared that the DA joined the Government of National Unity partly to prevent parties like the EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe from gaining power.
The EFF has dismissed the accusations, claiming the clip shared with Trump was taken out of context to promote a misleading narrative. Meanwhile, Malema remains defiant.
Just days after Trump’s remarks, he once again led the chant during a campaign event in the Free State, ahead of local by-elections. He declared his intention to continue singing the song, insisting it forms part of the nation’s liberation heritage.
Malema has maintained that he neither wrote nor owns the song, which he says was sung by prominent anti-apartheid leaders, including Winnie Mandela and Peter Mokaba. For him, continuing to perform it is an act of preserving the legacy of South Africa’s struggle, not an incitement to violence.
The incident has further highlighted the complexity of balancing historical context, political expression, and international diplomacy, while raising questions about the role of external actors in shaping domestic discourse.