WATCH: Why Julius Malema hates ‘Die Stem’ so much

In an interview with the SABC, EFF leader Julius Malema explained that his demand for “Die Stem” part to be removed from South Africa’s national anthem is something he and his party remain determined to fight for.

He explained that this had been the song that those oppressing black people had sung while ruling South Africa under apartheid.

Particularly the Afrikaans community has been vocal in saying they would not like to see this part of the anthem dropped, which follows the singing of Nkosi Sikilel’ iAfrika.

In the interview, Malema spoke passionately against Die Stem being part of the national anthem and the fact that the lyrics were in Afrikaans.

“They [the ANC] want us to sing using the language of the oppressor. They want us to sing the song they were singing in Vlakplaas when they were torturing and killing our people, making the same people who survived the torture and prison to sing the same song that was sung during their torture.

“Why do you want to perpetuate the traumatic situation of black people like that? As if you don’t understand the pain of where our people come from.”

Vlakplaas became an infamous place name at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where it emerged that members of the Special Branch, led by “Prime Evil” Eugene de Kock, had killed anti-apartheid fighters, often after torturing them for information.

The video below starts at the point Malema discusses the anthem. He says “we were ready to work with the ANC in the 2016 election. Our demands were simple to the ANC: Let’s expropriate the land; let us remove Die Stem from the national anthem; let us remove Zuma. All of that is doable.”

He said the ANC told him that removing Die Stem from the anthem “doesn’t even need a constitutional amendment. The president can do that. But they have not done that.”