Leaked: Julius Malema’s UK visa denial letter surfaces
EFF leader Julius Malema was refused a visa to the United Kingdom, sparking claims from his party that he is being politically silenced.
South African opposition leader Julius Malema will no longer attend the University of Cambridge’s Africa Together Conference after the UK failed to process his visa in time—an outcome his party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has slammed as an act of political censorship.
Malema, due to speak at the event on Saturday, 10 May, claims the delay occurred despite early applications and payment for expedited processing.
Julius Malema rejection letter_compressed 1Download
In a leaked letter to EFF senior member Godrich Gardee, UK High Commissioner Antony Phillipson apologised, citing the “necessary steps required to consider visa applications” and recent UK bank holidays as contributing to the delay.
He acknowledged the disappointment, especially given that the delegation had made arrangements in advance.
‘Deliberately stalling’
The EFF accused the UK High Commission of deliberately stalling the visa process to prevent Julius Malema from speaking, calling it an attempt to suppress a dissenting political voice.
Malema, a vocal critic of Western policies and advocate for radical economic reform in South Africa, including land nationalisation, called the decision “unacceptable and spineless.”
The UK Home Office declined to comment on the individual case, but agreed to refund the visa application fee.
The incident has sparked criticism from EFF supporters, who view the delay as a politically motivated act rather than an administrative mishap.