Cilliers Brink Unhappy With Cyril Ramaphosa’s Position on Kill the Boer Chant, Says It’s Dangerous

• Cilliers Brink has expressed unhappiness with President Cyril Ramaphosa's stance on the Kill the Boer chant
• The president maintained that the courts found the chant not to be hate speech and considered it a liberation song
• Brink said the chant was dehumanising, adding that he was appalled by the courts for saying it was protected

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The condemnation over Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments about the “Kill the Boer” chant continues.

The controversy surrounding the song resurfaced when Donald Trump called for Julius Malema’s arrest for singing the song at public gatherings. The song has been back in the spotlight of late after Trump showed videos of the Economic Freedom Fighters leader singing the song, arguing that it was proof of white genocide taking place in South Africa.

But the South African President recently weighed in on Trump’s comments, stating that the song was a liberation chant and should not be interpreted as a literal statement of intent. He added that the country would not be pressured into arresting anyone for singing it.

“When it comes to the issue of arresting anyone for any slogan, that is a sovereign issue. It's not a matter that we need to be instructed by anyone to arrest anyone,” the president said.

Former Tshwane Mayor unhappy with Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa’s comments didn’t sit well with former Tshwane Mayor, Cilliers Brink, who said that it showed a great deal about who Ramaphosa is and what he stands for when he failed to condemn the chant.

In a post on X, Brink also took aim at the Constitutional Court for failing to declare the chant as hate speech.

‘Kill the Boer’ is dehumanising and dangerous. It is appalling that our courts have decided to declare the racist death chant as protected speech,” he said.

What you need to know about the song

• Malema appeared before the Equality Court in August 2022 after Afriforum laid charges against him.
• The Equality Court ruled against AfriForum, saying that singing the song does not constitute hate speech.
• Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie said the song, saying it had no place in a democratic South Africa.
• Former president Thabo Mbeki condemned Malema for singing the song recently.
• Malema sparked debate for singing the struggle song on Human Rights Day 2025.
• Trump shows videos of Malema singing the struggle song during a White House meeting with Ramaphosa.

What you need to know about Cyril Ramaphosa

Cyril Ramaphosa is a politician, businessman, and anti-apartheid activist. He played a key role in the negotiations during the 1990s that brought an end to apartheid and led to the establishment of a democratic, nonracial government. Ramaphosa has served as president of South Africa since 2018 and has led the ruling African National Congress (ANC) since 2017.

He was elected deputy president of the ANC in December 2012, serving under then-president Jacob Zuma. Following the ANC's electoral victory in 2014, Zuma appointed Ramaphosa as deputy president of South Africa.

In June 2022, Ramaphosa faced allegations of criminal conduct in a complaint lodged by Arthur Fraser, a former head of the State Security Agency and a known Zuma ally. Fraser accused Ramaphosa of concealing the theft of at least $4 million in foreign currency reportedly hidden in a couch at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in 2020. The complaint also alleged that suspects in the theft were kidnapped and bribed.

Piers Morgan criticises Malema

Briefly News also reported that British media personality Piers Morgan has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Morgan took issue with the South African president, stating that it was a liberation chant, and thus no one would be arrested for singing it.

South Africans were divided by Morgan's comments, with some agreeing with him, while others wanted him to mind his own business.

Source: Briefly News