Dubul' ibhunu

Dubul' ibhunu, translated as shoot the Boer or kill the Boer, is a South African song. It has been criticised as being racist by AfriForum, the Democratic Alliance, and the Freedom Front Plus. It is sung in Xhosa and Zulu.
Boers, a sub-group of Afrikaners, are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in southern Africa who migrated to the rest of what would become South Africa during the Great Trek. The word boer also means 'farmer' in the Afrikaans language and, depending on the context, is often a pejorative term for an Afrikaner when used by non-Afrikaners. Depending on the interpretation, the song might alternatively refer to institutional structures such as the National Party (NP); or to specific groups of people such as members of the South African Police (colloquially known as Boers) and armed forces during apartheid.
Supporters of the song see it as a song that articulates an important part of South Africa's history, is an important part of political discourse, and that its meaning has been misconstrued. Opponents of the song argue that can be seen to bear a literal interpretation and therefore constitutes hate speech.
The song, along with the slogan "One settler, one bullet", is often associated with the phenomenon of farm attacks in South Africa. On 6 August 2023, The South African reported on a "surge" in attacks on white farmsteads after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) sang the song. The Anti-Defamation League has issued a notice stating that despite its origins, the crude lyrics could be interpreted as a call for violence and urged to avoid invoking expressions that include violent threats.
Controversy
The song originates in the struggle against apartheid when it was first sung to protest the Afrikaner dominated apartheid government of South Africa.
In post-apartheid South Africa the song has been most notably sung by then African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema and then South African President Jacob Zuma. Then African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has stated that interpreting dubul' ibhunu as 'kill the boer, kill the farmer' are perceiving a "vulgarised" version of the song that "incit[es] conflict" and that the song should instead be interpreted in the context of the struggle against apartheid as referring to a system. Critics of the song such as AfriForum and TAU-SA believe that the song encourages, and can be partly blamed for, the violent attacks on South African farms owned by White people.
At the EFF's 10th anniversary rally in 2023, Malema again sang the song to an estimated 90,000 supporters at the FNB Stadium. The incident received international coverage with Elon Musk criticizing Malema on Twitter for singing the song, accusing him of "openly pushing for the genocide of white people in South Africa". Malema subsequently replied on Twitter stating "O bolela masepa ("You are talking shit"). Following the EFF's 2023 rally Afriforum stated that the song was, according to testimony from Amanda Platt, sung by the perpetrators during a violent farm attack on Tim and Amanda Platt in KwaZulu-Natal; citing the incident as evidence of the song's literal and violent intent.
South Africa's official opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance, stated it would file a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Council whilst the Freedom Front Plus opened a case of intimidation. Malema later denied the accusation, citing Judge Molahlehi's 2022 judgement that the song was to be interpreted within its political context and thus not to be taken literally. Malema also stated that he and the EFF would continue to sing the song.
Court decisions
The song has been the subject of multiple court cases seeking to determine if the song is a form of hate speech, which is not protected speech by the South African Constitution and so is an offence to utter, or if it is a form of free speech that is protected by the constitution.
2010 South Gauteng High Court decision
In March 2010 South Gauteng High Court found that the phrase, spoken or sung, dubul'ibhunu ('shoot the boer') amounted to hate speech and was therefore not protected free speech as outlined in section 16 of the South African constitution.
2011 Equality Court decision
In September 2011, the Equality Court at the South Gauteng High Court ruled that the song was discriminatory, harmful, undermined the dignity of Afrikaners, and thereby constituted hate speech; and that it "prima facie satisfies the crime of incitement to murder." The court ruled that Julius Malema, who was brought before the court for previously singing the song at rallies, was forbidden from singing it in the future. Following the ruling Malema changed the wording of the song to "Kiss the Boer" and sang that instead — however, it can be argued to still have the same psychological influence as the original, due to the well-known context for the altered lyrics. The following year, the ANC stated that they would not sing the song any more.
2022 Johannesburg High Court decision
Malema, now leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), again appeared in court in 2022 for allegedly singing the song in a case brought by Afriforum where the issue of whether or not the song was hate speech was debated. The Johannesburg High Court ruled that the chant and song were not intended to be taken seriously; that Afriforium had failed to establish a causal link between the song and violence; that the reference to Boer did not literally refer to White or Afrikaans people; that the song did not incite hatred towards White people generally; and ruled the song was not hate speech. Afriforum said it would appeal the judgement to the Supreme Court.
Lyrics
See also
Kill Haole Day
References
Anti-apartheid songs
Protest songs
Political songs
South African political slogans
Songs about white people
Censorship in South Africa
Race-related controversies in music
Anti-white racism in Africa