Who is Julius Malema, the South African politician behind 'kill the farmer' chant?

JOHANNESBURG - Julius Malema, the South African person who President Donald Trump wants arrested for repeatedly chanting "kill the farmer," is reportedly a Rolex watch-wearing Gucci revolutionary, often seen successful snazzy, costly clothes, who champions the mediocre from a luxury mansion successful what is said to beryllium South Africa’s richest street. 

He has besides called for the further arming of the panic radical Hamas and has been accused of stealing millions of dollars from the precise pensioners helium is trying to get to ballot for him.

Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video of Malema shouting "Shoot to kill, Kill the Boer (the Afrikaner), termination the farmer," erstwhile the South African president, a neighbour of Malema’s successful Johannesburg, visited the Oval Office earlier this month. 

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Footage precocious surfaced online of what appears to beryllium a caller EFF rally, wherever Julius Malema tin beryllium seen chanting "Kill the Boer, the farmer" to a packed stadium of supporters.

Trump has offered Afrikaner farmers, descendants of mostly Dutch settlers, refuge successful the U.S., citing arguable and disputed claims that they are facing White genocide and forced onshore seizures.

The self-styled commandant successful main of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Party, Malema, a Marxist-Lennist, was the caput of the Youth League of South Africa’s biggest party, the African National Congress (ANC), but helium was kicked retired for bad-mouthing its leadership.

In last year’s election, votes for the EFF slumped to nether 10%, and some of Malema’s sidekicks, enactment co-founders and men helium described arsenic "brothers," near him and joined a competing party.

So it did not travel arsenic a astonishment to galore that, allegedly to spite President Trump, Malema conscionable days aboriginal jumped up, literally, onto the signifier astatine the precise adjacent rally helium was owed to look astatine to outcry "Kill the farmer, I repetition termination the farmer."

In 2022, South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled the chant is not hatred speech, declaring it is lone the words of a song. Malema sits connected the Judicial Services Commission, a assemblage which appoints the Court’s judges.

To Malema, critics say, the chant whitethorn beryllium much than conscionable opus lyrics. At slightest doubly helium told reporters here, "We person not called for the sidesplitting of White radical – astatine slightest for now." On different occasion, helium demanded, "We volition chopped the pharynx of Whiteness."

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South Africans protestation successful favour of President Donald Trump and against their government. (Getty Images)

Some accidental Malema is moving 2 strategies - 1 which follows the mantra "There’s nary specified happening arsenic atrocious publicity," and the different to enactment similar a tiny kid that makes a batch of noise, hoping to beryllium noticed, but with small existent effect. 

Analyst J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital that Malema "has crafted a governmental estimation arsenic the ‘bad boy’ of South African politics."

Spector, a erstwhile U.S. diplomat who lives successful Johannesburg and is subordinate exertion of the Daily Maverick, continued. "In a state with a 3rd of its workforce unemployed, and higher among young people, and poorness inactive a information of beingness for galore more, his (Malema’s) populism initially drew important enactment and enthusiasm among voters. However, his popularity arsenic a governmental person has faded somewhat."

Malema openly supports the terror radical Hamas, telling a rally successful 2023, soon aft the October 7 onslaught connected Israel, "when you are oppressed, you lone person 1 option, sprout to kill. There is thing incorrect with what Hamas is doing. The EFF is going to limb Hamas." He besides shouted helium intended to unopen down the Israeli Embassy successful South Africa. "We are going to region this embassy," helium yelled to large cheers.

A antheral brandishes a replica artifact weapon during a pro Palestinian objection organised by the South African absorption enactment Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) successful beforehand of the Israeli Embassy successful Pretoria, connected October 23, 2023.  (Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)

Allegations besides suggest that Malema and his past right-hand man, Floyd Shivambu, benefitted from "dodgy" deals with the South African VBS bank, which subsequently collapsed, starring to radical losing their pension savings. 

"In 2018, the VBS ungraded exposed wide looting by slope officials and politicians, including elder leaders of the EFF, Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema," the Opposition Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Baxolile Nodada stated past August. 

Speaking successful Cape Town successful July past year, Malema said "I volition ne'er beryllium intimidated by VBS. No person of the EFF received VBS money."

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But present that Malema is connected Donald Trump’s radar, the president mightiness propulsion backmost powerfully connected Malema’s links to Hamas and the VBS saga, Max Meizlish, elder probe expert astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

"Like the ANC that courts Iran and supports Hamas, Julius Malema would beryllium omniscient to not provoke Donald Trump. After all, Malema was intelligibly implicated successful the VBS scandal and has openly called to "arm Hamas." Malema could precise good find himself the people of Global Magnitsky Act sanctions — a instrumentality which President Trump tin wield unilaterally and astatine a moment’s notice," Meizlish said.