Tech billionaire Elon Musk has once again criticized his home country, South Africa, alleging that its government is promoting “white genocide” and blocking his Starlink satellite internet service due to his race.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Musk shared footage of a rally led by Julius Malema, leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, in which demonstrators chanted an apartheid-era slogan. Musk claimed the chant called for the killing of white South Africans and questioned why the media was not covering it.
“A whole arena chanting about killing white people,” Musk wrote. “Where is the outrage? Why is there no coverage by the legacy media?”
He went on to accuse a “major political party in South Africa” of actively promoting “white genocide,” seemingly referring to the EFF.
Musk also reiterated that his Starlink service was denied a license to operate in South Africa, claiming, “simply because I’m not black.”
Musk’s comments come amid growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington over South Africa’s controversial land expropriation law, signed in January. The policy allows the government to seize land without compensation in an effort to address racial disparities in land ownership. White South Africans, despite being a minority, still own the majority of the country’s farmland.
The law has drawn criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Musk, who called it an “egregious action” targeting white South Africans. In response, Trump signed an executive order cutting U.S. aid to South Africa in an attempt to pressure its government to repeal the policy.
Despite international backlash, South Africa’s government insists that the law is meant to correct historical injustices and does not discriminate against any racial group. Officials have also dismissed Musk’s claims regarding Starlink, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela stating that the company is welcome to operate in South Africa as long as it complies with local laws.
The rally Musk referred to was held to commemorate the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, when South African police killed 69 black protesters during apartheid. The chant in question—“Kill the Boer, kill the farmer”—has long been controversial. Malema and his party argue it is a historical protest song, while critics view it as inciting violence against white South Africans.
Malema has previously been found guilty of hate speech for using the chant, though the ruling African National Congress (ANC) government has stopped short of banning it.
