Dubul' ibhunu

[23][24] Depending on the interpretation, the song might alternatively refer to institutional structures such as the National Party (NP), or to specific groups of people such as members of the South African Police (colloquially known as Boers), the armed forces in South Africa during apartheid,[9] white farmers,[25][26]: 14  or to a specific ethnic or racial group generally.

[5][28] The song has origins across the South African anti-apartheid political spectrum and was used by both the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).

[5] The song is controversial in post-apartheid South Africa,[13] where it has experienced a revival,[30] being most notably sung by then African National Congress Youth League (ANCLY) leader, later leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema[36] and then South African President Jacob Zuma.

Following these events the Afrikaner civil rights organisation AfriForum opened a case against Malema alleging that his use of the song was a provocation to racial violence and hate speech.

[39] The incident received international coverage with Elon Musk criticizing Malema on Twitter for singing the song, accusing him of "openly pushing for the genocide of white people in South Africa".

[41] South Africa's official opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance, stated it would file a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Council[39][42] whilst the Freedom Front Plus opened a case of intimidation.

[42] Malema later denied the accusation, citing Judge Molahlehi's 2022 judgement that the song was to be interpreted within its political context and thus not to be taken literally.

[44] The Anti-Defamation League has issued a notice stating that despite its origins, the crude lyrics could be interpreted as a call for violence and urged to avoid invoking expressions that include violent threats.

[36] Following the ruling Malema changed the wording of the song to "Kiss the Boer" and sang that instead[48]—however, it can be argued to still have the same psychological influence as the original, due to the well-known context for the altered lyrics.

[48] The SAHRC acquitted Malema on five accounts of hate speech towards White and Indian South Africans, one of the charges being for the singing of an altered "Kiss the boer" version of dubul' ibhunu.

[49] The SAHRC found that although Malema's comments were "still quite problematic to us in a democratic society that is committed to healing the divisions"[49] the charges brought against him were an attempt at suppressing "legitimate criticism and debate.