Words that wound — ‘Kill the Boer’ is legal, but not wise for a fragile SA

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In March 2025, South Africa’s Constitutional Court upheld a contentious ruling that the slogan “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer,” a liberation-era chant, does not constitute hate speech under South African law.

This judgment followed an appeal by AfriForum against a previous judgment. The civil rights organisation argued that the slogan incited violence and hatred, particularly against white South Africans and especially farmers.

The court found, however, that the phrase, when understood in its historical and political context, did not meet the legal threshold of hate speech.