Marco Rubio Joins Elon Musk in Condemning Kill the Boer Chant, SA Roasts Him
- The United States' Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, upset South Africans when he weighed in on the "Kill the Boer" chant
- He spoke after Economic Freedom Fighter president Julius Malema recently sang the chant on Human Rights Day
- Rubio said the chant incited violence and called on South African leaders to protect Afrikaners and disfavoured minorities, earning criticism from the public
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG — The United States' Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, received criticism from South Africans after he weighed in on the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema singing the "Kill the Boer" chant on 21 March 2025. His assertions that it incites violence incensed South Africans.
What did Marco Rubio say?
Rubio posted on his official @SecRubio X account. This is the same account where he announced that former ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool was declared persona non grata. In his latest tweet which he posted on 24 March, he said the chant incites violence and called on South African politicians and leaders to protect Afrikaners and other disfavored nations.
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Rubio also said the United States is proud to offer those who qualify for citizenship a place of refuge amid an alleged horrible threat of violence. His statement comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting Afrikaners refugee status.
View Rubio's X tweet here:
What happened with the chant recently?
Rubio is not the only one who weighed in on Malema singing the chant in Sharpeville to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre. Tech billionaire Elon Musk also weighed in.
He claimed the media did not provide coverage of Malema singing the chant and said there was not sufficient outrage over the song. He also accused the EFF of inciting violence against Afrikaners.
A court ruled in 2022 that singing the chant does not constitute hate speech. This was after AfriForum took Malema to court for singing the song at a rally.
Source: Getty Images
What did South Africans say?
Netizens were unimpressed with Rubio.
TK Nala said:
"State capture 2.0. Elon seems to have captured the US government, and the leaders are carrying out his instructions without fact-checking. Marco Rubio just repeated what Elon Musk posted months ago."
Raymond Monty said;
"Marco, I know you're a bit illiterate, but go to Google and search for a legal case of AfriForum vs Malema on the chant."
Lunathi Kilani said:
"The assertion that the chant incites violence is a gross misinterpretation of our country's reality. This is a deliberate disinformation campaign aimed at painting the Republic of South Africa as a nation on the brink of racial warfare."
Old Crow2said:
"You have lost any credibility when it comes to humanitarian issues."
Marco Rubio pulls out from G20
In another Rubio-related article, Briefly News reported that the Secretary of State announced that he would not attend the G20 Summit. South Africa will host the summit in Johannesburg in November this year.
His decision came after Trump signed the Executive Order in favour of Afrikaners as refugees. He cited that terrible things were happening in the country and he would not attend the summit as a result.
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Source: Briefly News
