“Someone Has Come To Fool You”: Malema’s Speech About Foreigners Sparks Heated Debate in SA

• A clip of Julius Malema speaking at a funeral service went viral after he addressed the ongoing tensions around foreigners in South Africa
• Malema pointed out that certain groups of people, like the Xhosa, Zulu and Tsonga, all have roots that stretch across borders
• The speech left South Africans divided, with some praising his perspective and others saying he was deliberately missing the point

A clip of EFF leader Julius Malema delivering a speech at the funeral service of EFF member Amahle Njambathwa on 30 May 2026 spread widely online after he addressed the current debate around foreigners in South Africa.

In the clip, Malema challenged the idea that people from neighbouring countries should simply be told to leave. He made a case that the borders between South Africa and its neighbours are far more blurred than many people acknowledge. He said:

"Someone has come to fool you and make you think there is a big problem for you to fight with your own neighbours."

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He went on to point out that the Xhosa people have roots in Zimbabwe, the Zulu nation has connections across borders, the Tswana are found in Botswana, the Tsonga in Mozambique and the Basotho in Lesotho.

He also brought up the fact that many South Africans cross into neighbouring countries for family events or to visit relatives without a passport, yet turn around and demand that people without documentation be removed from South Africa.

What was Malema arguing?

His broader point was that the anger being directed at foreigners is being used to distract South Africans from the real problems affecting their daily lives, including unemployment, corruption and poor service delivery.

He argued that many of the people being targeted as foreigners are actually closely connected to South African communities through blood, culture and shared history.

He questioned how you tell someone to leave a country when their relatives live on both sides of the same border, and when South Africans themselves regularly cross those same borders without thinking twice.

The speech came at a time when anti-immigration protests had been intensifying across the country.

Watch the clip here.

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SA debates Malema's foreigners speech

The comments on the TikTok page were intense and wide-ranging:

@saliwakazii wrote:

"Who else has a lot to say but decided to keep it shut."

@lionkinggrace said:

"Is he deliberately avoiding the context? 🤷🏼‍♂️"

@see_neeh5 wrote:

"He doesn't know what to say because of the deals he signed."

@bulletsimphiwe_ma said:

"This young man is losing votes this coming election."

@sirtswai wrote:

"Surname and citizenship are two different things."

@cello4384 said:

"This man deserves to be a president."

@richaunt153 wrote:

"Malema, I won't renew my membership anymore. Shame."

@lynna328 added:

"Malema is very educated. Vote Malema for president 💪👌"

More on SA's political tensions

• Briefly News recently reported on the EFF writing to the National Assembly demanding action over Ramaphosa's decision to challenge the Phala Phala report.
• Malema also weighed in on Ghana's decision to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, and what he said had social media turning on him almost immediately.
• Jacob Zuma and the MK Party accused Ramaphosa of using delay tactics to avoid accountability over Phala Phala.

Source: Briefly News