dubul' ibhunu

{{short description|South African anti-Apartheid song}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Use South African English|date=November 2021}}

"Dubul' ibhunu" ({{IPA|xh|dəbʊliːbuːnuː|lang}}), translated as shoot the Boer,{{cite journal |last1=Gray |first1=Louise |title=Can Music Kill? |journal=Index on Censorship |date=10 September 2010 |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=112–120 |doi=10.1177/0306422010379686|doi-access=free}} kill the Boer{{cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=Mabunda M. |last2=Ramhurry |first2=Cindy |title=A uniting song that divides: A critical analysis of (Kill the Boer) |journal=Muziki |date=7 March 2014 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=32–42 |doi=10.1080/18125980.2014.893091 |s2cid=145002213}} or kill the farmer,{{Cite web |last=Broughton |first=Tania |date=2022-08-25 |title=Judge rules that "Kill the boer - Kill the farmer" is not hate speech |url=https://groundup.org.za/article/judge-rules-kill-boer---kill-farmer-not-hate-speech/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=GroundUp News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Croucamp |first=Piet |date=11 August 2023 |title=It's not whites who should fear Malema's rhetoric |url=https://www.vryeweekblad.com/en/opinions-and-debate/2023-08-11-its-not-whites-who-should-fear-malemas-rhetoric/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Vrye Weekblad |language=af-ZA |archive-date=20 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320084517/https://www.vryeweekblad.com/en/opinions-and-debate/2023-08-11-its-not-whites-who-should-fear-malemas-rhetoric/ |url-status=dead }} is a controversial South African anti-Apartheid song. It is sung in Xhosa or Zulu. The song originates in the struggle against apartheid when it was first sung to protest the Afrikaner-dominated apartheid government of South Africa. It gained new prominence after 2010 following its use at political rallies held by the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

South African courts ruled it to be a form of hate speech in 2010,{{Cite news |date=2011-09-12 |title=ANC Julius Malema's Shoot the Boer ruled 'hate speech' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14878102 |access-date=2025-01-24 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} a ruling that was later overturned in 2022.{{Cite news |last=Eligon |first=John |date=2023-08-02 |title='Kill the Boer' Song Fuels Backlash in South Africa and U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/world/africa/south-africa-kill-boer-song.html |access-date=2025-01-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Supporters of the song see it as a song that articulates an important part of South Africa's history,{{Cite web |last=Quintal |first=Genevieve |date=19 May 2011 |title='Shoot the boer': Lost in translation? |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-19-shoot-the-boer-lost-in-translation/ |access-date=16 March 2019 |website=The M&G Online |language=en}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/Vuyisile%20Mini%20paper.pdf |title=Mini and the song: The place of protest song in history |last=Msila |first=Vuyisile |date=20 September 2011 |website=www.sahistory.org.za |publisher=UNISA |page=13 |access-date=16 March 2019}} is an important part of political discourse,{{Cite journal |last=Gunner |first=Liz |date=2015 |title=Song, identity and the state: Julius Malema's "Dubul' ibhunu" song as catalyst |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24758684 |journal=Journal of African Cultural Studies |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=326–341 |doi=10.1080/13696815.2015.1035701 |jstor=24758684 |s2cid=142721849 |issn=1369-6815|url-access=subscription }}{{cite web |date=25 August 2022 |title=Malema, Economic Freedom Fighters singing 'Kill the Boer' ruled not hate speech |url=https://mg.co.za/news/2022-08-25-malema-economic-freedom-front-singing-kill-the-boer-ruled-not-hate-speech/ |access-date=7 August 2023 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} and that its meaning has been misconstrued as advocating killing Boers or farmers.{{cite news |last=Fihlani |first=Pumza |date=2014-05-03 |title=South Africa's songs of power |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27245511 |access-date=2023-08-07 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} Opponents of the song argue that it can be seen to bear a literal interpretation{{cite web |last=Brkic |first=Branko |date=29 March 2010 |title='Kill the Boer': a brief history |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2010-03-29-kill-the-boer-a-brief-history/ |access-date=16 March 2019 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}{{cite web |last=SAPA |date=11 March 2010 |title=ANC OK with Malema singing "shoot the boer" |url=http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=165288&sn=Detail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226234210/http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=165288&sn=Detail |archive-date=26 December 2013 |access-date=6 August 2023 |website=PoliticsWeb}}{{cite web |title=Uproar as judge bars Shoot the Boer song |url=https://legalbrief.co.za/diary/legalbrief-today/story/uproar-as-judge-bars-shoot-the-boer-song/print/ |access-date=7 August 2023 |website=legalbrief.co.za}} and therefore constitutes an incitement to violence and hate speech.{{cite journal |last=Gray |first=Louise |date=September 2010 |title=Can Music Kill? |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306422010379686 |journal=Index on Censorship |language=en |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=113 |doi=10.1177/0306422010379686 |s2cid=145339333 |issn=0306-4220|url-access=subscription }} Social and political commentators on South Africa, such as Jonathan Jansen{{Cite web |last=Jansen |first=Jonathan |date=2 August 2023 |title=There are reasons to worry about 'Kill the Boer', but genocide is not one of them |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2023-08-02-jonathan-jansen-there-are-reasons-to-worry-about-kill-the-boer-but-genocide-is-not-one-of-them/ |access-date=27 January 2024 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}}{{Cite web |last=Jansen |first=Jonathan |date=3 August 2023 |title='Kill the Boer' segregates citizens in a time of social and economic distress |url=https://www.heraldlive.co.za/opinion/2023-08-03-kill-the-boer-segregates-citizens-in-a-time-of-social-and-economic-distress/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=HeraldLIVE |language=en-ZA}} and Stephen Grootes,{{Cite web |last=Grootes |first=Stephen |date=2022-02-20 |title=Song will tear us apart, again — just the way Malema and AfriForum want |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-02-20-song-will-tear-us-apart-again-just-the-way-malema-and-afriforum-want/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Grootes |first=Stephen |date=2025-03-31 |title='Kill the Boer' — A song sung by so few that divides so many |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-31-kill-the-boer-a-song-sung-by-so-few-that-divides-so-many/?dm_source=dm_block_grid&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} have noted the song's ability to increase racial divisions within South Africa{{Cite web |last= |title=Post-Dubula maturity is required |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/voices/editorial-post-dubula-maturity-is-required-20220828 |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Bailie |first=Craig |date=2023-08-10 |title=EFF singing Kill the boer: Every S African should be concerned |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2023-08-10-eff-singing-kill-the-boer-every-s-african-should-be-concerned/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} and polarisation, whilst strengthening radicals on either side of the country's political spectrum.

Interpretation

Boers, a sub-group of Afrikaners, are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in southern Africa who migrated to the rest of what would become South Africa during the Great Trek. The word boer also means 'farmer' in the Afrikaans language and, depending on the context, is often a pejorative term for an Afrikaner when used by non-Afrikaners.{{Cite web |title=Boer - definition of Boer in A Dictionary of South African English - DSAE |url=https://dsae.co.za/entry/boer/e00946 |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=dsae.co.za}}{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Rensia |date=6 August 2002 |title=Conflict, representation, interpretation - truth lied |url=https://www.pala.ac.uk/uploads/2/5/1/0/25105678/rensia.pdf |journal=Poetics and Linguistics Association |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=604}}

Depending on the interpretation, the song might alternatively refer to institutional structures such as the National Party (NP), or to specific groups of people such as members of the South African Police (colloquially known as Boers), the armed forces in South Africa during apartheid, white farmers,{{Cite journal |last=Pretorius |first=Joelien |date=2014 |title="Dubula ibhunu" (shoot the boer): A psycho-political analysis of farm attacks in South Africa |url=https://repository.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10566/5814/PretoriusDubulaibhunu.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |journal=Psychology in Society |volume=47 |pages=21–40 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |access-date=7 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930085528/https://repository.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10566/5814/PretoriusDubulaibhunu.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |date=31 July 2003 |title=SAPS Report of a special committee of inquiry into farm attacks |url=https://africacheck.org/sites/default/files/Final-Report-Committee-of-Inquiry-Farm-Attacks-July-2003.pdf |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=Africa Check |publisher=South African Police Service |pages=14, 233, 445}}{{Rp|page=14}} or to a specific ethnic or racial group generally.{{Cite web |last=Mutasa |first=Haru |date=13 September 2011 |title='Shoot the Boer' freedom song banned |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2011/9/13/shoot-the-boer-freedom-song-banned |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Rp|page=233}}

Then African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has stated that interpreting dubul' ibhunu as 'kill the boer, kill the farmer' are perceiving a "vulgarised" version of the song that "incit[es] conflict" and that the song should instead be interpreted in the context of the struggle against apartheid as referring to a system.{{cite journal |last=Pretorius |first=Joelien |date=2014 |title="Dubula ibhunu" (shoot the boer): A psycho-political analysis of farm attacks in South Africa |url=https://repository.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10566/5814/PretoriusDubulaibhunu.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |journal=Psychology in Society |volume=47 |page=22 |via=University of the Western Cape |archive-date=30 September 2023 |access-date=7 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930085528/https://repository.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10566/5814/PretoriusDubulaibhunu.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |url-status=dead }}

History

The song has origins across the South African anti-apartheid political spectrum and was used by both the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). It pre-dates the toyi-toyi protest dance.{{Page reference|page=333}}

One of the first recorded accounts of "Dubul' ibhunu" was during the Delmas Treason Trial in 1985. The song was brought up in testimony during the trial wherein the prosecutor tried to link the defendants to the song and thereby prove malicious intent. The defense was able to rebut the implication that the accused acted with mens rea when it was proven that they were not present during its singing.{{Rp|page=284–287}}

During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, Ntuthuko Chuene claimed that he killed Godfrey Frederick Lanz Heuer on his farm in August 1992 because he had been influenced by the "kill the Boer, kill the farmer" chant at ANC rallies.{{Cite web |date=14 October 1999 |via=Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development |title='Kill the Boer' slogan led to farm killing: TRC |url=https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1999/9910/p991014a.htm |access-date=2024-02-05 |agency=South African Press Association}}{{Cite web |date=8 October 1999 |via=Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development |title=ANC, IFP men at TRC for Kwa/Natal violence |url=https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1999/9910/p991008b.htm |access-date=2024-02-05 |agency=South African Press Association}} Chuene was convicted for Heuer's murder and sought clemency for what he argued was a politically motivated killing. Heuer's wife refused to give her permission to grant Chuene amnesty, arguing that Chuene's act was criminal in motivation rather than political.

Anti-apartheid activist and politician Peter Mokaba sang the song at a 1993 memorial rally for the recently assassinated anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani. The period in the run-up to South Africa's first democratic election in 1994 and subsequent transfer of power from white-minority government was a notable period of instability for South Africa marked with fears of potential for widespread racial violence. It was feared that the assassination of Chris Hani might trigger such violence and political chaos. This coincided with Operation Great Storm, a violent paramilitary campaign launched by the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), the armed wing of the PAC, aimed at violently displacing white farmers to reclaim land for black Africans.{{Cite web |date=29 August 1997 |via=Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development |title=PAC'S Great Storm returns to haunt it |url=https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1997/9708/s970829a.htm |access-date=2024-01-27 |agency=South African Press Association}}{{Cite web |website=Truth Commission |title=Special Report – Transcript of episode 57, section 4, starting at: 21:24 |url=https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/glossary/apla.htm |access-date=2024-01-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307153751/https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/glossary/apla.htm |archive-date=2025-03-07}}{{failed verification|reason=Page cited does not contain this information. The transcript referred to has not been archived|date=May 2025}}{{Cite journal |last=Lephakga |first=Tshepo |date=2018 |title=APLA and the Amnesty Committee of the TRC? An Ethical Analysis of the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa |url=https://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/she/v44n1/10.pdf |journal=Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=9 |doi=10.25159/2412-4265/2379 |issn=2412-4265 |via=Scientific Electronic Library Online}}

At Mokaba's funeral in 2002 the crowd spontaneously sang the song while ANC leaders were present.

On May 21, 2025, during a press conference in the Oval Office, U.S. President Donald Trump played a video featuring Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, chanting "Kill the Boer, kill the farmer" and "Shoot the farmer – brrrrr pow!" at a political rally. Trump, seated next to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, presented the footage as evidence to support claims of a "white genocide" occurring in South Africa.{{Cite web |title=Donald Trump confronts South African president with Malema video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLkZv3gzO0 |website=YouTube |date=May 21, 2025 |access-date=2025-05-21}} President Ramaphosa refuted the allegations, stating that such chants did not reflect official government policy and that violence in South Africa affects all communities. He reaffirmed his government's commitment to public safety and nonracialism.{{Cite news |title=Ramaphosa rebuffs Trump's 'white genocide' claims |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ramaphosa-trump-meeting-south-africa-latest-news-5fc87rzb0 |work=The Times |date=May 2025 |access-date=2025-05-21}}{{Cite news |title=Trump confronts South African president Cyril Ramaphosa with white genocide claims |url=https://nypost.com/2025/05/21/us-news/trump-confronts-south-african-president-cyril-ramaphosa-with-white-genocide-claims/ |work=New York Post |date=May 2025 |access-date=2025-05-21}}

Controversy

The song is controversial in post-apartheid South Africa, where it has experienced a revival,{{Cite journal |last=Erlmann |first=Veit |date=2020 |title='Shoot the Boer' – Hate Speech, Law and the Expediency of Sound |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1404&context=ltc |journal=Law Text Culture |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=275–301 |doi=10.14453/ltc.724 |via=UOW Library |archive-date=24 July 2024 |access-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724215328/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1404&context=ltc |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }} being most notably sung by then African National Congress Youth League (ANCLY) leader, later leader of the EFF, Julius Malema{{cite web |last= |first= |date=12 September 2011 |title='Shoot the boer': It's hate speech, says judge |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-09-12-shoot-the-boer-its-hate-speech-says-judge/ |access-date=16 March 2019 |website=The M&G Online |language=en}} and then South African President Jacob Zuma.{{cite web |date=24 February 2012 |title=Hate speech charge laid against Jacob Zuma |url=https://www.news24.com/southafrica/politics/hate-speech-charge-laid-against-jacob-zuma-20120224 |access-date=16 March 2019 |website=News24 |language=en}} The song, along with the slogan "One settler, one bullet", is often associated with the phenomenon of farm attacks in South Africa.{{Rp|page=14}} The public reaction to the song has been compared to the public reaction to the anti-Indian Zulu language song AmaNdiya.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Janet |date=17 September 2011 |title=Dubul' ibhunu jolts us to ponder post-1994 discourse |url=https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-independent-on-saturday/20110917/282621734443479 |access-date=2025-04-29 |via=PressReader |work=The Independent on Saturday}}

Malema first sang the song during a speech he was giving, in his capacity as President of the ANCLY, at the University of Johannesburg in 2010; where he sang in the context of post-1994 South Africa's slow resolution to the problem unequal distribution of land ownership along racial lines.Gunner, Liz (2015). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/24758684 "Song, Identity and the State: Julius Malema’s ‘Dubul’ Ibhunu’ Song as Catalyst"]. Journal of African Cultural Studies, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 326–341. Accessed 28 January 2024. Four weeks after Malema's 2010 singing of the song the leader of the {{lang|nl|Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging}} (a far-right wing Afrikaner nationalist party), Eugène Terre'Blanche, was murdered on his farm. Following these events the Afrikaner civil rights organisation AfriForum opened a case against Malema alleging that his use of the song was a provocation to racial violence and hate speech.{{Page reference|page=333}}

At the EFF's 10th anniversary rally in 2023, Malema (now as leader of the EFF) again sang the song to an estimated 90,000 supporters{{cite web |date=1 August 2023 |title=South African opposition torn apart over apartheid song |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/08/01/south-african-opposition-torn-apart-over-apartheid-song/ |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=Africanews |language=en}} at the FNB Stadium.{{cite web |last=Kgosana |first=Rorisang |date=2 August 2023 |title='I will sing "Kill the Boer" as and when I please': Malema responds to struggle song outrage |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2023-08-02-i-will-sing-kill-the-boer-as-and-when-i-please-malema-responds-to-struggle-song-outrage/ |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}} The incident received international coverage with Elon Musk criticizing Malema on Twitter for singing the song, accusing him of "openly pushing for the genocide of white people in South Africa".{{cite web |last=Ditabo |first=Malaika |date=1 August 2023 |title=Elon Musk vs Julius Malema: EFF leader accused of inciting genocide with 'Kill the boer' song |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/political-parties/elon-musk-vs-julius-malema-eff-leader-accused-of-inciting-genocide-with-kill-the-boer-song-20230801 |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} Malema subsequently replied on Twitter stating {{lang|xh|"O bolela masepa"}} ("You are talking shit"). Following the EFF's 2023 rally Afriforum stated that the song was, according to testimony from Amanda Platt, sung by the perpetrators during a violent farm attack on Tim and Amanda Platt in KwaZulu-Natal; citing the incident as evidence of the song's literal and violent intent.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-29 |title=Attackers chant 'Kill the Boer, kill the Farmer' before stabbing female victim with spear |work=AfriForum |url=https://afriforum.co.za/en/attackers-chant-kill-the-boer-kill-the-farmer-before-stabbing-female-victim-with-spear/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |language=en-US |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922163307/https://afriforum.co.za/en/attackers-chant-kill-the-boer-kill-the-farmer-before-stabbing-female-victim-with-spear/ |url-status=dead }}

South Africa's official opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance, stated it would file a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Council{{cite web |last=Ramushwana |first=Alpha |date=2 August 2023 |title=Malema defends the singing of 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer' |url=https://ewn.co.za/0001/01/01/malema-defends-the-singing-of-kill-the-boer-kill-the-farmer |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=Eyewitness News |language=en}} whilst the Freedom Front Plus opened a case of intimidation. Malema later denied the accusation, citing Judge Molahlehi's 2022 judgement that the song was to be interpreted within its political context and thus not to be taken literally.{{Cite web |date=31 July 2023 |title=Afriforum opposed to 'Kill the Boer' chant at EFF 10th anniversary celebration |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/afriforum-opposed-to-kill-the-boer-chant-at-eff-10th-anniversary-celebration/ |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=SABC News |language=en-US |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803130020/https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/afriforum-opposed-to-kill-the-boer-chant-at-eff-10th-anniversary-celebration/ |url-status=dead }} Malema also stated that he and the EFF would continue to sing the song.{{Cite web |last=Masungwini |first=Norman |date=2 August 2023 |title=Malema promises 'kill the boer' chant will remain in his repertoire |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/politics/malema-promises-kill-the-boer-kill-the-farmer-chant-will-remain-in-his-repertoire-20230802 |access-date=3 August 2023 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}

The Anti-Defamation League has issued a notice stating that despite its origins, the crude lyrics could be interpreted as a call for violence and urged to avoid invoking expressions that include violent threats.{{cite web |title=ADL Statement on 'Kill the Boer' |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-statement-kill-boer |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |language=en}}

In March 2025 Elon Musk posted a video to X of Julius Malema singing "Dubul' ibhunu" with a caption expressing his outrage at "a major political party ... that is actively promoting white genocide". US President Donald Trump then reposted Musk's comment on his own Truth Social along with his own condemnation of the song and a request that the South African government "protect Afrikaner and other disfavored minorities" as well as inviting Afrikaners to immigrate to the United States.{{cite web |last1=Dall |first1=Nick |title='Kill the Boer': The anti-apartheid song Musk ties to 'white genocide' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/26/kill-the-boer-the-anti-apartheid-song-musk-ties-to-white-genocide |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=Al Jazeera}} For a time on 14 May 2025, X's chatbot Grok suddenly began mentioning "Kill the Boer" and white genocide in response to entirely unrelated topics, confusing users. The issue was fixed later that same day.{{cite news |last=Peters |first=Jay |title=Grok really wanted people to know that claims of white genocide in South Africa are highly contentious |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/667179/x-twitter-grok-ai-white-genocide-claims |access-date=14 May 2025 |work=The Verge |date=14 May 2025}}{{cite magazine |last=Robison |first=Kylie |title=Elon Musk's Grok AI Can't Stop Talking About 'White Genocide' |url=https://www.wired.com/story/grok-white-genocide-elon-musk/ |access-date=14 May 2025 |magazine=Wired |date=14 May 2025}}

= Legal decisions =

The song has been the subject of multiple court cases seeking to determine if the song is a form of hate speech, which is not protected speech by the South African Constitution and so is an offence to utter, or if it is a form of free speech that is protected by the constitution.

== 2003 Human Rights Commission ruling ==

Following a complaint from the Freedom Front the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) ruled that the song amounted to hate speech in the context of a post-apartheid South Africa that was seeking reconciliation.{{Cite web |date=12 April 2010 |title=Heritage or hate speech? |url=https://humanities.uct.ac.za/apc/heritage-or-hate-speech |website=Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative |publisher=University of Cape Town}}

== 2010 North Gauteng High Court decision ==

In April 2010 the North Gauteng High Court{{Cite web |title=Afriforum and Another v Malema (18172/2010) [2010] ZAGPPHC 39 (1 April 2010) |url=https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2010/39.html |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.saflii.org}} interdicted and restrained Julius Malema from publicly uttering the words of the song pending a decision by the Equality Court where a complaint regarding the song had already been laid.

== 2011 Equality Court decision ==

In September 2011, the Equality Court at the South Gauteng High Court ruled that the song was discriminatory, harmful, undermined the dignity of Afrikaners, and thereby constituted hate speech; and that it "prima facie satisfies the crime of incitement to murder".{{cite web |last=Staff Reporter |date=19 May 2011 |title=Judge to ignore 'shoot the boer' order for Malema case |work=The Mail & Guardian |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-19-judge-to-ignore-shoot-the-boer-order-for-malema-case/ |access-date=7 August 2023 |language=en-ZA}} The court ruled that Julius Malema, who was brought before the court for previously singing the song at rallies, was forbidden from singing it in the future. Following the ruling Malema changed the wording of the song to "Kiss the Boer" and sang that instead{{cite news |last=Smith |first=David |date=1 November 2012 |title=South Africa: ANC promises to stop singing Shoot the Boer |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/01/south-africa-spear-machine-gun |access-date=16 March 2019 |issn=0261-3077}}—however, it can be argued to still have the same psychological influence as the original, due to the well-known context for the altered lyrics. The following year, the ANC stated that they would not sing the song any more.

== 2019 Human Rights Commission ruling ==

The SAHRC acquitted Malema on five accounts of hate speech towards White and Indian South Africans, one of the charges being for the singing of an altered "Kiss the boer" version of "Dubul' ibhunu".{{Cite web |last=Tandwa |first=Lizeka |date=27 March 2019 |title=SAHRC finds Malema comments referred to commission not hate speech |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/just-in-sahrc-finds-malema-comments-referred-to-commission-not-hate-speech-20190327 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} The SAHRC found that although Malema's comments were "still quite problematic to us in a democratic society that is committed to healing the divisions" the charges brought against him were an attempt at suppressing "legitimate criticism and debate". In July 2023 the Johannesburg High Court set aside the 2019 SAHRC finding, ruling that the SAHRC had acted outside its mandate in its finding on hateful speech.{{Cite web |last=Kgosana |first=Rorisang |date=14 July 2023 |title=Court sets aside SAHRC decision that exonerated Malema of hate speech |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-07-14-court-sets-aside-sahrc-decision-that-exonerated-malema-of-hate-speech/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}}

== 2022 Johannesburg High Court decision ==

Malema, now leader of the EFF, again appeared in court in 2022 for allegedly singing the song in a case brought by Afriforum where the issue of whether or not the song was hate speech was debated.{{cite web |last=Masweneng |first=Kgaugelo |date=18 February 2022 |title=Expert witness in hate crime case unpacks use and significance of 'Dubul' ibhunu' |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-02-18-expert-witness-in-hate-crime-case-unpacks-use-and-significance-of-dubul-ibhunu/ |access-date=2 March 2022 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}} The Johannesburg High Court ruled that the chant and song were not intended to be taken seriously; that Afriforum had failed to establish a causal link between the song and violence;{{cite web |title='Afriforum failed to establish causal link between "Kill the boer" & violence' |url=https://www.702.co.za/articles/453080/afriforum-failed-to-establish-causal-link-between-kill-the-boer-and-violence |access-date=7 August 2023 |website=702 |language=en-ZA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807092355/https://www.702.co.za/articles/453080/afriforum-failed-to-establish-causal-link-between-kill-the-boer-and-violence|archive-date=2023-08-07}} that the reference to Boer did not literally refer to White or Afrikaans people; that the song did not incite hatred towards White people generally; and ruled the song was not hate speech.{{cite web |last1=Broughton |first1=Tania |date=25 August 2022 |title=GROUNDUP: EFF singing of 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer' not hate speech, court rules |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-25-eff-singing-of-kill-the-boer-kill-the-farmer-not-hate-speech-court-rules/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}{{cite web |last=Masson |first=Eunice |date=25 August 2022 |title=Malema, Economic Freedom Fighters singing 'Kill the Boer' ruled not hate speech |url=https://mg.co.za/top-six/2022-08-25-malema-economic-freedom-front-singing-kill-the-boer-ruled-not-hate-speech/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} Afriforum appealed the decision and in 2024 the Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed the High Court's verdict that the song, as sung during the Senekal incidents, was not hate speech.{{Cite web |last=Moosa |first=Tauriq |date=30 May 2024 |title=Julius Malema singing 'shoot the boer' is not hate speech, SCA rules |work=BusinessLIVE |url=https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2024-05-30-julius-malema-singing-shoot-the-boer-is-not-hate-speech-sca-rules/ |access-date=9 August 2024}}{{Cite web |date=28 May 2024 |title=The Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa Judgment |url=https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2024/82.pdf |access-date=9 August 2024 |website=Southern African Legal Information Institute}}

Lyrics

{{Verse translation|lang=xh|

Ayasab' amagwala

dubula dubula

ayeah

dubula dubula

ayasab 'a magwala

dubula dubula

awu yoh

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

awe mama ndiyekele

awe mama iyeah

awe mama ndiyekele

awe mama iyo

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Ayasab' amagwala

dubula dubula

ayeah

dubula dubula

ayasab 'a magwala

dubula dubula

iii yoh

dubula dubala

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

awe mama ndiyekele

awe mama iyo

awe mama ndiyekele

awe mama iyo

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Ziyarapa lezinja

dubula dubula

ay iyeah

dubula dubula

Ziyarapa lezinja

dubula dubula

ay iiiyo

dubula dubula

Aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Aw dubul'ibhunu

dubula dubula

Ayasab' amagwala

Dubula dubula

Ay iyeah

Dubula dubula

Ayasab' amagwala

Dubula dubula

Ay iyeah

|The cowards are scared

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

the cowards are scared

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

mother leave me be

oh mother

mother leave me be

oh mother

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

the cowards are scared

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

the cowards are scared

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

mother leave me be

oh mother

mother leave me be

oh mother

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

these dogs are raping

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

these dogs are raping

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

shoot the Boer

shoot shoot

the cowards are scared

shoot shoot

shoot shoot

the cowards are scared

shoot shoot{{cite news|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/english-translation-of-aw-dubulibhunu-479503|title=English translation of Aw Dubul'ibhunu {{!}} IOL News|website=www.iol.co.za|language=en|access-date=16 March 2019}}

}}

See also

References