Tesla CEO and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official Elon Musk has demanded sanctions against Julius Malema, a prominent South African politician, following controversial remarks targeting white South Africans.
Malema, leader of EFF political party in South Africa’s parliament, sparked outrage with his inflammatory speech concerning the removal of Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip.
In a widely circulated video, Malema declared, “We are cutting the throat of whiteness,” explicitly acknowledging that their opposition to Trollip was based solely on his race.
🚨🇿🇦SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICAL LEADER: WE WILL CUT THE THROAT OF WHITENESS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 9, 2025
Julius Malema:
“These people, when you want to hit them hard, go after a white man. They feel terrible pain because you have touched a white man.
We're cutting the throat of whiteness. We will kill white… https://t.co/nFBMwU4RTG pic.twitter.com/TsNzC6W8Hp
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International Criminal
Responding forcefully on social media, Musk wrote:
“Immediate sanctions for Malema and declaration of him as an international criminal!”
He further escalated the matter by directly challenging South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, tweeting:
“Why do you allow this, @CyrilRamaphosa? This is a major political party in the South African parliament and their leader is calling for genocide of white people.”
Immediate sanctions for Malema and declaration of him as an international criminal! https://t.co/KLwfsp9c2j
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 9, 2025
We Will Not Be Cowed
Julius Malema through an EFF statement responded to Elon Musk, saying that they will not be cowed in their efforts against imperialism. The statement posted on X said,
“The EFF will not be cowed into submission, retreat nor capitulation from its principled and unwavering commitment to confront imperialism and its surrogates like Elon Musk anywhere and everywhere it rises its ugly head.”
The statement, targeting Musk’s role in the Trump Administration, went on to say,
“As part of the general hysteria that has overtaken governance in the United States of America (USA), Musk has assumed the role of a global billionaire maniac, whose grotesque wealth has overwhelmed him and made him think as a supreme ruler of not only the Oval Office, but of all nations of the world.”
EFF Statement On Elon Musk’s Call For CIC, Julius Malema To Be Declared An International Criminal.
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) February 9, 2025
The EFF will not be cowed into submission, retreat nor capitulation from its principled and unwavering commitment to confront imperialism and its surrogates like Elon Musk anywhere… pic.twitter.com/BsxQEOLLJl
Tensions Between Trump and South Africa
The controversy unfolds amid heightened tensions between the United States President Donald Trump and South Africa. The Trump administration recently suspended aid to South Africa, citing concerns about the country’s land expropriation policies.
However, President Ramaphosa countered these claims, clarifying that South Africa’s only significant U.S. funding comes through PEPFAR, the HIV/AIDS assistance program.
As an official in Trump’s administration serving within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk’s intervention carries additional diplomatic weight.
His outspoken criticism of South African policies has intensified the ongoing debate about race relations and property rights in his birth country, adding a new dimension to the already complex diplomatic situation between the two nations.
