Julius Malema Sparks Divisions With Youth Day Speech, Says Donald Trump, Elon Musk Are Scared of EFF

• Julius Malema used Youth Day to take a shot at US President Donald Trump and Starlink owner, Elon Musk
• The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters claimed that both men were scared of his political party
• South Africans were divided by Malema's comments, with some showing support for the Red Berets leader

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.

KWAZULU-NATAL – Julius Malema has once again claimed that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are scared of him.

The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters made the comments during Youth Day celebrations on 16 June 2025 in Umlazi. The party held its celebrations at the King Zwelithini Stadium, where Malema once again turned his attention to the United States of America President and the world’s richest man.

Malema targets Starlink, Musk and Trump

During his address, the Red Berets leader once again focused on the US President as well as the Tesla owner. Malema has been at loggerheads with the pair ever since they both claimed that terrible things were happening in the country. Musk also previously branded Malema as an international criminal.

In his speech, Malema claimed that Trump was scared of the EFF, as was Musk. He then turned his attention to Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service.

“Starlink will never work here in South Africa for as long as the EFF exists,” he said.

He also said that if the company refused to comply with the laws of the country, it would never exist in South Africa. Musk previously stated that he wasn’t allowed a license to operate in the country because he wasn’t black.

Malema also used his speech to once again state that there was no white genocide taking place.

You can watch his statements below.

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.
• Malema hit back at Musk after the SpaceX owner described him as an international criminal.
• The EFF hit back at Trump after he expressed doubts about attending the G20 Summit.
• Malema responded to Trump’s calls for him to be arrested during the meeting with the South African delegation.
• Malema taunted Trump and Musk after the ConCourt ruled that the Kill the Boer song was not hate speech.

South Africans divided by Malema’s comments

The EFF leader’s comments sparked mixed reactions online, as some supported Malema, while others claimed he was just trying to stay relevant.

@FootballStage_1 said:

“It's not about him.”

@zama_raw added:

“But I want Starlink, nje.”

@InorAlomidom stated:

“We are behind Malema all the way on this one.”

@F_Keys_MRG claimed:

“He is trying by all means to be relevant.”

@Thabisos1586082 said:

“That's very correct. Right now, the EFF is the only party that is defending SA. The GNU promised Trump that they were going to amend the Constitution in order to allow Starlink to operate in this country. The EFF said hell no.”

@Mancitybee noted:

“Malema woke up on June 16 and said Starlink is banned, and Trump fears the EFF. He gave us policy, paranoia and punchlines in one sermon. You have got to love the confidence, even when it's doing cartwheels.”

The EFF labels Trump a liar

In a related article, the EFF labelled Trump as a liar following his meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa.

Briefly News reported that the party was not happy with a video clip shared by the US President.

Trump showed a video in the White House, which he claimed was proof of white genocide in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News