Cartoon of the day: 9 May 2025
Malema has courted controversy for several years, leading to calls for him to be declared an 'international criminal'
EFF leader Julius Malema is outraged at being denied a UK visa just days before he was set to attend the Cambridge Conference in London this weekend.
Taking to social media, Malema claimed that 'no substantial justification' was given for the decision.
'We are currently at the OR airport, as we were promised that everything would be sorted by 15:30. Instead, we received a regret letter just four hours before our departure. This is unacceptable and spineless.'
The controversial politician claimed the denial was 'an attempt to silence a dissenting political perspective'.
'This is nothing more than an expression of bureaucratic process being used to suppress political dissent and to ban the voices of the EFF from building global solidarity against Western Imperialism,' his party added.
In a letter to EFF deputy president Godrich Gardee, British High Commissioner Antony Phillipson apologised that the UK Home Office was unable to process the application due to the time needed to consider visa applications and recent UK bank holidays.
Malema's fiery speeches
Malema has courted controversy for several years, slamming British imperialism and colonialism. He has also been in court for discharging a rifle during an EFF birthday celebration in 2018.
There have been calls for international sanctions against him for his chanting of 'Kill the Boer', with SA-born tech billionaire Elon Musk saying he should be declared an 'international criminal'.
Musk accused Malema of deliberately calling for the genocide of white South Africans.
Malema hit back, saying he is 'happy to be an international criminal'.
'I am so happy to be an international criminal. Do you know why? Because Nelson Mandela was an international criminal – that's what they declared him for, fighting for the rights of our people.
'If it means I'm joining the ranks of Nelson Mandela by being declared an international criminal for fighting for the rights of my people, I'm a proud international criminal,' Malema said.
NOW READ: Could Malema have brought denied UK visa on himself?
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