Julius Malema, a South African politician, has drawn attention after President Donald Trump called for his arrest due to his vocalization of “kill the farmer.” Malema is known for his lavish lifestyle, sporting Rolex watches and stylish Gucci clothing, and residing in a luxurious mansion situated on South Africa’s wealthiest street.
Malema has shown support for arming the Hamas terror group and faced allegations of embezzling millions from pension funds, despite his efforts to appeal for votes from the underprivileged.
During a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, Trump raised concerns by presenting a video of Malema chanting “Shoot to kill, Kill the Boer (the Afrikaner), kill the farmer.” Ramaphosa, who shares a neighborhood with Malema in Johannesburg, was addressed on this matter by Trump earlier this month.
South Africans protest in favor of President Donald Trump and against their government. (Getty Images)
Some say Malema is running two strategies – one which follows the mantra “There’s no such thing as bad publicity,” and the other to act like a small child that makes a lot of noise, hoping to be noticed, but with little real effect.
Analyst J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital that Malema “has crafted a political reputation as the ‘bad boy’ of South African politics.”
Spector, a former U.S. diplomat who lives in Johannesburg and is associate editor of the Daily Maverick, continued. “In a country with a third of its workforce unemployed, and higher among young people, and poverty still a fact of life for many more, his (Malema’s) populism initially drew significant support and enthusiasm among voters. However, his popularity as a political leader has faded somewhat.”
Malema openly supports the terror group Hamas, telling a rally in 2023, shortly after the October 7 attack on Israel, “when you are oppressed, you only have one option, shoot to kill. There is nothing wrong with what Hamas is doing. The EFF is going to arm Hamas.” He also shouted he intended to shut down the Israeli Embassy in South Africa. “We are going to remove this embassy,” he yelled to loud cheers.
A man brandishes a replica toy gun during a pro Palestinian demonstration organised by the South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in front of the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria, on October 23, 2023. (Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)
Allegations also suggest that Malema and his then right-hand man, Floyd Shivambu, benefitted from “dodgy” deals with the South African VBS bank, which subsequently collapsed, leading to people losing their pension savings.
“In 2018, the VBS scandal exposed widespread looting by bank officials and politicians, including senior leaders of the EFF, Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema,” the Opposition Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Baxolile Nodada stated last August.
On Friday, the DA’s federal executive member and national spokesperson, Willie Aucamp, told Fox News Digital the DA “isn’t letting the VBS scandal fade into the background. Not when over R2 billion ($111 million) was looted from pensioners, struggling municipalities, and poor communities. The DA has been leading the charge to expose those behind this daylight robbery, including Julius Malema, leader of the EFF.”
He continued, “The DA laid criminal charges back in 2018, but six years later, not a single charge has been prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Justice for the victims of VBS is long overdue. The DA will continue pushing for the arrest and prosecution of every single person involved – Malema included.”
Speaking in Cape Town in July last year, Malema said “I will never be intimidated by VBS. No leader of the EFF received VBS money.”
But now that Malema is on Donald Trump’s radar, the president might push back powerfully on Malema’s links to Hamas and the VBS saga, Max Meizlish, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
“Like the ANC that courts Iran and supports Hamas, Julius Malema would be wise to not provoke Donald Trump. After all, Malema was clearly implicated in the VBS scandal and has openly called to “arm Hamas.” Malema could very well find himself the target of Global Magnitsky Act sanctions — a tool which President Trump can wield unilaterally and at a moment’s notice,” Meizlish said.
