The United Kingdom has barred South African opposition leader Julius Malema from entering the country, citing his vocal support for Hamas and inflammatory remarks deemed “non-conducive to the public good.”
It is the second time in two months that the firebrand politician has been denied a UK visa.
In a letter published by Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, the UK Home Office said the decision was based on Malema’s public endorsement of Hamas – an organisation proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK – and past statements that allegedly incited racial violence.
The Home Office referenced a 2023 speech in which Malema pledged to arm Hamas if his party came to power as well as social media posts defending the group’s actions following the October 2024 attacks on Israel.
The UK also cited Malema’s controversial rhetoric on race, including past remarks interpreted as calls for violence against white South Africans.
While South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that such statements, including the singing of struggle songs like “Kill the Boer,” do not constitute hate speech, British authorities said the comments contributed to their assessment of Malema as a potential threat to public order.
Malema’s party condemned the visa denial as “cowardice” and accused the UK of stifling democratic debate.
“We will not trade our revolutionary beliefs in exchange for a visa,” the EFF said in a statement, reaffirming its support for the Palestinian cause.
This latest refusal follows a previous visa denial in May, when Malema was scheduled to speak at Cambridge University’s Africa Together Conference.
At the time, the UK cited a late application.
Malema, a vocal critic of Western foreign policy and advocate for land nationalisation in South Africa, remains a polarising figure both at home and abroad.
JN/APA