The ANC has denied that ANCYL president Julius Malema and Jackson Mthembu sang the song "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" this week, saying a Sapa reporter confused it with another song.

"At no stage did [Comrade] Jackson Mthembu refer or sing the song 'kill the boer, kill the farmer', but instead he sang the song 'Ayesaba amagwala', which the ANCYL president Cde Julius Malema sang at the Wits meeting," ANC spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said in a statement.

Mnisi was not immediately available to confirm that the statement named the incorrect university, and that the song causing the controversy was actually sung at the University of Johannesburg.

"Our overview is that the reporter who reported on this matter and who interacted with our spokesperson does not know the difference between the two songs," the ANC statement said.

On Thursday, Mthembu told Sapa the 'Ayesaba amagwala' song was not meant to attack boers.

"If you don't look at the song in its entirety, then you lose the meaning," he said, before starting to sing it to Sapa during a telephonic interview.

Sapa responds

Sapa editor Mark van der Velden said on Friday the news agency stood by its report from the interview with Mthembu.

"The ANC statement is a bit vague on just what it is they want to 'correct', but Sapa never reported Mthembu sang the original 'kill the boer, kill the farmer'," Van der Velden said.

"Sapa's questions to Mthembu, subsequently confirmed to be while he was being held in a police cell after being arrested for alleged drunk driving ? were specifically related to the song Malema sang at the UJ."

Mnisi explains

Mnisi said on Friday this song was sung during the struggle days.

"(They) are part of our history and heritage and the songs have not been outlawed," he said.

"It will therefore be disingenuous for anyone to say Cde Julius Malema is racist or calling for the attack on any race group in the country by singing this song."

On Thursday, Mthembu explained: "It [the song] says, 'some people are cowards', it says, 'use your gun to shoot', because it is reminiscent of fighting a war."

It refers to all people who are cowards, including blacks who were cowards, Mthembu said.

"[It is about]... black people who were cowards... it means oppressive forces, it means those who are against transformation, those who are saying this ANC regime is against the 'blanke volk' [the white nation].

Zulu-speaker's translation

According to a Zulu-speaking reporter's translation of the recording of Malema's visit, he preceded the song with salutations.

These included recognition to former youth league leader Peter Mokaba who is associated with the phrase "kill the boer", which the SA Human Rights Commission has previously ruled is hate speech.

Malema then went on to sing the song 'Ayesaba amagwala' which means "cowards are afraid", with people in the background harmonising with the words "shoot, shoot, shoot with a gun".

Then he changes the words of the song and sings: "shoot the boer", whereas the words are usually "shoot the coward".

He repeats "shoot the boer", sings something inaudible about dogs, then returns to singing "shoot the boer".

He was not heard singing the next phrase, reported by the Sowetan as "they are rapists". That newspaper's editor was not immediately available to comment.

The Sapa translation was based on a recording made by a reporter on the scene.

AfriForum Youth chairman Ernst Roets said the organisation would submit a complaint to the Equality Court in Johannesburg because it felt it was reminiscent of Mokaba's slogan.