Nov 02, 2012

Afrikaner: ‘Kill The Boer’ Song Continues To Fuel Racial Tension In South Africa


The ANC recently signed an agreement with AfriForum and the Transvaal Agricultural Union regarding the controversial song “Kill the Boer”. Last year, the song was considered hate speech by the South Gauteng High Court in South Africa. 

Below is an article published by SABC News:

 

The Freedom Front Plus says the ANC cannot be trusted to uphold an agreement to drop an appeal against the "Shoot the Boer" song and encourage its members not to sing it. The party's comment follows the signing of an agreement to this effect between the ANC, the lobby group, AfriForum, and the Transvaal Agricultural Union.

FF Plus parliamentary leader Pieter Groenewald says they would have welcomed a court decision on the matter. The parties reached an out-of-court settlement on the controversial song "dubhula ibunu", which means 'shoot the Boer'.

The ANC was appealing an earlier ruling of hate speech against its former youth leader Julius Malema and the party. The party has promised it will try to discourage its members from singing the song. ANC and AfriForum locked horns over the struggle song and the expelled youth leader was at the centre of the row. The Equality Court declared it hate speech.

The ANC appealed an interdict to restrict its members from singing "dubhula ibunu". Now the parties have reached middle ground a day before going to the Supreme Court of Appeal. The ANC insists this has nothing to do with Malema.

"To make this a Malema issue is something to actually stretch issues to the limit, we are committing to this because we are committed to say the struggle and its songs is a heritage, it is part of our history and we can’t wipe it off," said ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe.

Both parties agreed to abandon litigation, and to keep on engaging one another. "We also commit ourselves to not only songs sung by the ANC but any other song that might be sung anywhere in the country by any community that we will take a strong stance against lyrics in any song or not just lyrics with regard to racial slurs," said AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel.

One party was hoping for far more. "This agreement gives us an opportunity, one that the ANC does not have a choice but to speak to us," said Louis Meintjies of TAU SA. "I think TAU SA should not stretch its luck to the limit and think that all of a sudden we have hands behind the back," Mantashe said.