"Disturbing": Azapo Members Sing 'Shoot the Boer' in Court Amid EFF, AfriForum Case
- The case between the EFF and AfriForum at the South Gauteng High Court descended into chaos on Wednesday
- Amid the proceedings, Azapo members began singing the same song, "Dubul'ibhunu", which the EFF was dragged to court over
- Social media was a hive of activity as South Africans from different walks of life reacted to the drama, with some defending Azapo's actions
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JOHANNESBURG - Chaos erupted in AfriForum's case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at the Gauteng High Court over the contentious "Dubul'ibhunu" ("Shoot the Boer") song on Wednesday.
During a leg of the proceedings in which the civil rights organisation's deputy chief executive Ernst Roets was giving testimony, two Azanian People's Organisation (Azapo) members reportedly broke out in song, reciting the lyrics of the said song as they did so.
Source: Getty Images
TimesLIVE reported that the pair carried placards with the message "We won't stop singing to pacify white fragility" and "Dubul'ibhunu is a struggle song about blackness".
Other members of the liberation movement turned political party gathered near the court precinct and sang. Roets, whose organisation lodged a civil case against the EFF in 2020, criticised party leader Julius Malema for his supposed denial of farm murders, describing the politician's stance as "upsetting" and "reckless".
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AfriForum insisted the song not only advocates racial and ethnic hatred but also has the potential to cause damage. The group is calling on the Equality Court to order EFF leaders to apologise and to pay half a million in punitive damages.
Briefly News understands the organisation was successful in contesting the song in 2010 after Malema was convicted of hate speech while the then-president of the ANC Youth League, The Citizen reported.
Netizens speak their minds
South Africans offered up mixed reactions to the drama, with some citing that Afrikaaner people, including Roets, kept the apartheid flag in their homes. Others slammed Azapo's actions. Briefly News takes a look at some of the loudest reactions below.
@Mthunzi Mthunzi wrote:
"As long they still keep "die stem" part in our national anthem...I will sing with Azapo."
@Mata Nyula said:
"Adrian Basson enjoys Mandela's freedom with insults to black scholars and we also enjoy it with these timeless struggle songs. Charter them first-class to Australia where they'll be refugees if they want."
@Mpumie Gee Dlamini added:
"We are tired of attending...we ground forces we like this revolutionary song..so taking us to court won't help because we will continue to sing that song."
Alleged unrest instigator's trial to start in August
Elsewhere, Briefly News recently reported that the trial of Wits University Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile is set to take place in the Durban Regional Court in August this year.
Khanyile is accused of flouting Covid-19 health and safety protocols as well as inciting public violence amid widespread looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July.
At the time of the unrest, Khanyile, appearing in court on Tuesday following a pre-trial conference, is said to have called on a group of people in Durban to show their support to former president Jacob Zuma, who, at the time, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court.
Source: Briefly News
