Elon Musk's controversial remarks on Julius Malema's 'Kill the Boer' song and Starlink's absence in South Africa raise questions about race and disinformation.
Image: X
South African-born Elon Musk, a constituent of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the US has one of the most politically powerful social media platforms in the world, X. On it, the 53-year-old has not held back on his views on South Africa.
Recently, Musk responded to Julius Malema singing 'Kill the Boer' on Human Rights Day.
He claimed that the struggle song calls for genocide against the white populace, claims that land is being forcibly taken from white farmers, and asserts that Starlink is not in the country because he is not black.
"Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide. The video below was just yesterday. A whole arena chanting about killing white people," Musk posted on X.
In 2022, the Equality Court ruled that 'Kill the Boer' does not constitute hate speech. Judge Edwin Molahlehi said in the ruling that he had no reason to reject the evidence given by Malema explaining the context and history of struggle songs.
"It does not constitute hate speech and deserves to be protected under the rubric of freedom of speech - it articulates the failure of the current government to address issues of economic empowerment and land division. The broad principle of freedom of expression is tolerance of different views," said Molahlehi.
The post on X, which has been seen by over 48 million people is fanning the flames of disinformation regarding the country.
Musk went on to further espouse disinformation on the Expropriation Act. "A month ago, the South African government passed a law legalising taking property from white people at will with no payment.
"Where is the outrage? Why is there no coverage by the legacy media?"
The Tesla owner added: "Starlink can't get a license to operate in South Africa simply because I'm not black. How is that right?"
This is the second time that Musk has claimed this publicly. Clayson Monyela, a senior official at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation responded to the first false claim.
"Sir, that's not true and you know it! It's got nothing to do with your skin colour. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa provided there's compliance with local laws. This is a global international trade and investment principle," Monyela posted on X.
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