Overview

• Julius Malema, leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters, was denied a UK visa to speak at an Africa-themed Cambridge University event on Saturday.
• Malema called the visa denial a political move to suppress his anti-Western views, labeling it an attempt to silence dissenting perspectives.
• The British High Commissioner to South Africa, Antony Phillipson, apologized, attributing the denial to procedural delays compounded by recent UK bank holidays.
• The UK Home Office declined to comment on the case, maintaining its policy of not discussing individual visa applications.
• This incident follows a pattern, including the UK’s October refusal of a visa to Mandla Mandela, raising broader questions about British visa policies and free speech.