Left South African politician says Britain denies his speech at Cambridge University
Cape Town, South Africa (AP) – A left-wing South African politician, known for his anti-Western rhetoric, has been accused of British authorities of denied his visa on Wednesday at an event at Cambridge University, for political reasons.
Julius Malema, leader of the South African Economic Freedom Fighter Opposition Party, said the decision was actually a ban on his address to students and “try to silence the dissenting political views.”
He posted his assurance on social media platform X that his visa was being processed but received a “lose letter” informing him that his application was unsuccessful while waiting for a flight to London at Johannesburg or Tambo International Airport.
Malema also used the party's “commander-in-chief” who had previously demanded compensation from Britain and apologized to African countries for colonialism. The lawmakers and his party also accused the British monarchy of playing a leading role in the slave trade and colonial abuse.
The BBC reported that it had seen a leaked letter, a leaked letter from the British High Commissioner to the Malema party in South Africa, who personally apologized that the British Home Office was unable to process Malema's visa in a timely manner and said it was due to procedural issues. The BBC said the letter from High Commissioner Antony Phillipson quoted the “unfortunate timing” of the recent UK national holiday.
The Ministry of the Interior has no comment.
His party said Malima will speak at an Africa-themed event held at Cambridge University on Saturday.
The enemy's politician was expelled from South Africa's then-ANCP in 2012 and recently occupied an anti-Western stance in the Ukrainian War and the Israel-Hanmas conflict. He expressed his support for Russia in the invasion of Ukraine and accused Western countries of supporting and funding what he called Israel's “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.
In October, the UK denied that former South African MP Mandela, whose grandson, Nelson Mandela, had a visa, traveled and spoke at pro-Palestine events in several British cities. Mandla Mandela said he was informed by the Ministry of the Interior that his visa was denied due to his support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a terrorist organization that Britain believes is a terrorist organization and that his existence is “not conducive to the public interest.”
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