I think the time has come

"aw dubul' ibhunu [shoot the boer] 'a magwala [the cowards are scared] dubula dubula [shoot shoot]".

So, Eugene Terre Blanche is dead, bludgeoned to death with knobkerries and a panga by two young men. The organisation that Eugene Terre Blanche started, the Afrikaaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) have vowed to avenge his death and place the blame solely on Julius Malema

Two people this morning have asked me if I think he was murdered because of the singing of the ‘Kill the Boer’ song (quoted above) by Julius Malema. My answer is an emphatic ‘NO’.

According to a former Land Claims Attorney Dr Phillip du Toit in his book ‘The Great South African Land Scandal’(Available from: www.salandscandal.co.za):

“Since the ANC came to power in 1994, 1600 farmers have been murdered in over 8000 farm attacks. A farmer has been murdered, on average, once every second day for ten years.

There has been an average of 77 farm attacks per month. The murder rate of South African commercial farmers is the highest for any specific group in the world 313 per 100 000. The murder rate amongst the general population is officially 55 per 100 000 (In Europe the murder rate is 2 per 100 000)."

The statistics are chilling and are a harsh reminder of just how badly the government has neglected this vital industry and people. Farm murders are a reality all around the world and especially in South Africa due to the isolation of many farms. I feel that this murder is just one in a long-line of farm attacks and murders, the fact that it happened a few weeks after the resurgence of the song made famous by Peter Mokaba is purely coincidence.

By no means am I excusing the murder of Eugene Terre Blanche, but the hysterical nature in which people want to blame Julius Malema for everything is starting to reach ridiculous proportions.

However, even if he cannot be held directly responsible for the murder of Eugene Terre Blanche he can, and must, be held responsible for tightening an already over-taut rope by encouraging racial division and hatred in an already racially-charged environment.

I have been very hesitant to discuss the topic of the singing of the ‘Kill the Boer’song as it has already taken on undue emotional proportions on both sides, but I think the time has come.

I have tried to understand both sides of the argument and I have come to a conclusion: No one should be allowed to sing songs such as the above, ever, in any context. My reasoning follows:

On the one hand we have the ANC who feel that the song is part of their heritage and culture thus it cannot be removed from the national lexicon. If we are to try and understand the point of the ANC we need to acknowledge that they were an incredible liberation movement whose members sacrificed everything for the sake of freedom for all. Part of this heritage is that they used to sing freedom songs to encourage one another, dubul' ibhunu being one of the many. They say that the song no longer means literally killing the Boers, but it represents killing Apartheid as a whole. Many have also argued that the ANC has ‘allowed’ white South Africa to keep many of the place and street names named after Apartheid Era heroes. Their argument is that they are so magnanimous in allowing ‘whites’ to keep the heritage, why should they be stopped from keeping theirs.

On the other hand we have many others (not only whites) who quite simply feel that the singing of the song amounts to hate speech and insights violence.

Chapter 2, Section 16 of the Constitution of quite clear
Freedom of expression
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes ¬
a. freedom of the press and other media;
b. freedom to receive or impart information or ideas;
c. freedom of artistic creativity; and
d. academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.

2. The right in subsection (1) does not extend to ¬
a. propaganda for war;
b. incitement of imminent violence; or
c. advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.

For me the argument is quite simple. The debate here is not heritage, the debate is whether or not it is Constitutional.

Regardless of the heritage behind it and the ‘symbolism’ of the words,the singing of the song is against the Constitution of our country (partly drawn up by the ANC). While the ANC can argue heritage all they like, the reality is that murder in any context, for any reason, is completely and utterly unacceptable. The liberation songs can be remembered in textbooks and museums, they do not have to be remembered by being sung to hysterical audiences by an obviously racist man. By singing these songs Julius Malema and other comrades are inciting violence on other racial groups and for this he MUST be held accountable.

Also, the argument that they have allowed ‘whites’ to keep certain names rings hollow for me. How can a street named after PW Botha possibly encourage hatred?

In 2003, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) declared the ‘Kill the Boer’ song hate speech. A recent High Court ruling declared it illegal to sing the song because it is hate speech. Regardless, and in direct defiance of the law and our Constitution, Julius Malema continues to sing the song.

The longer we allow songs of this nature to echo around our nation the more racially divided we will become. As my wife said to me this morning: “No one is born with racial discrimination, they have to be taught it”.

Julius Malema cannot be held directly responsible for the death of Eugene Terre Blanche, but he is propagating hate which often leads to murder; for this he must be held accountable, and if needs be, jailed.