Economic Freedom Fighters Labels Donald Trump’s Travel Ban Racist and Xenophobic, SA Divided

• The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has slammed Donald Trump's latest travel ban against numerous countries
• The President of the United States of America implemented a travel ban and restrictions against 19 countries
• South Africans were divided by the party's comments, with some saying they were just trying to stay relevant

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 Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has criticised Donald Trump once again.

The party and its leader, Julius Malema, previously hit out at the President of the United States of America, most notably for his

The travel ban comes into effect on Monday, 9 June 2025, and restricts people from those countries from entering the US. The banned countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There are also heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

EFF accuses Trump of being racist

Speaking on 6 June about the decision, EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo highlighted that most of the countries were in Africa. Thambo described this as racist and xenophobic, saying it was racist paranoia.

“This executive order, dripping with the same racist paranoia that has fuelled violent immigration policies in the US for decades, represents an attack on the Global South,” he said.

Thambo also took issue with the reasoning behind the executive order, which claimed that people from these countries were dangerous. The Red Berets member stated that the idea stems from racist beliefs that existed in the US for years.

“From the destruction of Libya to the destabilisation of Yemen, these countries are not exporting terror. They are victims of American and Western imperialism,” he argued.

The comments were not the first time that the EFF has hit out at the US leader.

What you need to know about the EFF and Trump

• Malema’s party described Trump as a KKK leader after Ebrahim Rasool was expelled from the USA.
• Malema took a swipe at the US President as he celebrated 100 days in office.
• The EFF hit back at Trump after he expressed doubts about attending the G20 Summit.
• Trump showed clips of Malema singing the Kill the Boer chant during his meeting with Ramaphosa.
• Malema responded to Trump’s calls for him to be arrested during the meeting with the South African delegation.

South Africans divided by the party's comments

The comments drew mixed reactions online, as some agreed with the party and others mocked it.

Jabu Mahlangu said:

"EFF is a useless party. No purpose or direction. Just desperate to be relevant."

Christopher Reynolds stated:

"They label everything that is not black as racist. So boring."

Siphiwe Phibo Masango added:

"Trump is being patriotic, which is something fools will not understand."

Timothy Onyeakosim stated:

"Donald Trump is a racist."

Skhokho Shwelebaba agreed:

"Trump or Trumpet is racist."

EFF slams Trump and Ramaphosa

Briefly News reported that the EFF were not happy with President Ramaphosa and President Trump.

The party accused the leaders of using their recent meeting to attack Julius Malema.

South Africans were amused by the party's statements, with some asking why Ramaphosa was being blamed.

Source: Briefly News