Certain words and phrases should not be used, and certain songs and chants fall into the same category. It was therefore disconcerting to hear the words “Kill the boer, kill the farmer” in a video in the Oval Office in the White House during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit with US President Donald Trump. Such words are simply inappropriate in any situation.
The video showed EFF leader Julius Malema singing Dubul’ iBhunu (Kill the Boer). This inappropriate song should have been forgotten a long time ago, but is being kept alive by Malema. Only he will know his real reasons for singing it, but he is not doing South Africans any favours.
An analogy to Malema’s singing would be singing “Boere should shoot, boere should kill” and arguing that this has no meaning. I shudder as I write these words, as chanting them would be as inappropriate in any situation as “Kill the boer, kill the farmer”. South Africans are on a slippery slope if we use provocative songs but hide behind the excuse that they actually mean nothing and should not be taken literally.
It is therefore astonishing that we have debates about Kill the Boer. How can a song calling to kill anybody be justified in a modern democracy?
The attempt by former president Thabo Mbeki to defend the singing of this song is most inappropriate. He should feel ashamed, and he owes the nation an apology for trying to justify the indefensible.
Mbeki’s justification is that this struggle song was never intended to be taken literally. I have no idea why he saw fit to put himself in the middle of this hornet’s nest, but in doing so, he should expect to get stung.
He should have had the insight to know that we all have the ability to keep our mouths shut. This was an opportunity where he should have used this wonderful ability.
Mbeki used the struggle against apartheid as motivation for the continued singing of the song. However, the struggle he refers to ended more than 30 years ago, on April 27 1994.
The real struggle South Africa faces is the lack of economic growth and the unacceptable level of unemployment. A song such as Kill the Boer does not help the country attract more investment in the interest of growth and job creation.
Over the past decade, our average economic growth rate was about 1% per year. Such persistently low economic growth is a recipe for disaster in any economy.
Small steps aimed at improving the living conditions of ordinary people will make a big difference, as investment and job creation will follow. One example is a focus on service delivery in municipalities. Fixing roads and infrastructure will result in the establishment of new businesses and new job opportunities.
South Africa has lost the ability to dream big and should therefore start dreaming small, which will at least hold the promise of a better future.
Over the same period, the population growth rate was about 1.5% per year. With population growth exceeding economic growth, South Africans get poorer on a per capita basis. The country’s real GDP per capita declined from R80,191 in 2013 to R75,226 in 2024.
It is time to stop living in the past and focus on the problems facing the country right now. Our challenge is to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren in South Africa.
We need policy initiatives that will increase economic growth, with all the concomitant benefits that will follow. South Africa does not need Ramaphosa’s pie-in-the-sky dreams of smart cities; such dreams have a way of turning into nightmares of corruption and lack of execution.
How can a song calling to kill anybody be justified in a modern democracy?
Liberation movements often revert to the past when present and future challenges overwhelm them. The ANC and Mbeki have fallen into this trap, using references to a glorious past struggle to detract attention from South Africa’s challenges.
The GNU has been in control of the country for a year. It can therefore still blame the inept previous Ramaphosa administration for the lack of economic growth, but the time for excuses is passing fast.
We urgently need plans to improve South Africa’s economic performance. If the country has another year of weak economic growth, the GNU will have to admit failure in implementing any plans to stimulate growth.
For the moment, the GNU has a more pressing challenge on its hands. Steps must be taken to rid South Africa of Kill the Boer.
The solution is for the GNU to use its parliamentary majority to introduce a bill declaring the song hate speech. Passing such a law will help South Africans close the door on the past and focus on the country’s challenges.
Rossouw is an honorary professor at Wits Business School and an economist at Altitude Wealth
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