The ANC's decision to defend youth leader Julius Malema for singing "shoot the boers, they are rapists" will cause untold harm to South Africa's reconciliation efforts, says the IFP.

And the continued failure to reprimand Malema could see race relations regressing to levels worse than pre-1994.

"We are absolutely shocked and disgusted that the ANC has decided to stand by Julius Malema when the slogan in question has been declared hate speech by the Human Rights Commission," said Velaphi Ndlovu, Inkatha Freedom Party spokesman for police and labour.

"The ANC is now flouting the Constitution, it has clearly abandoned reconciliation and nation building efforts and it is now no longer guided by the principles, values and vision of our nation's founding father, Nelson Mandela. God help us all if Malema is now the ANC's voice of authority," said Ndlovu.

He noted that the African National Congress was "at an alarming pace" undoing all the hard work in building a cohesive nation.

"Soon enough we will be back to square one."

Malema, according to the Sowetan, led students at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in a song saying: "Shoot the boere [farmers], they are rapists."

He told students that former president Nelson Mandela had convinced blacks to forgive, but they should never forget what was done to them.

Earlier on Friday, President Jacob Zuma defended Malema in an interview, saying he had leadership qualities and cared about people.

"I haven't said that he is right but I've said he has a right to raise issues. If we stop Malema you would say that apartheid has come back," Zuma told the Mail&Guardian.

People needed to differentiate between private views and policy.

Malema is currently facing hate speech charges laid at the SA Human Rights Commission for repeating an adaptation of a slogan coined by former league leader Peter Mokaba's slogan at the UJ.

"People want us to shout him down. Why must we do that? Even the late youth league president [Peter Mokaba] used to sing 'One Farmer, One Bullet'. Even Madiba, who is today an icon, was one of the most vocal youth league [leaders]," Zuma said.

Ndlovu said the song comes against the backdrop of 800 attacks against farmers every year.

"We sympathise with the plight of farmers and farmer workers. Farm attacks are on the increase and there is already a sense that government is not doing enough to protect this section of our society," he said.

"Malema's comments will certainly exacerbate these beliefs."

He said the ANC should make its views clear on this matter.

"In support of Malema, is the ANC now declaring war? This is a question that must be answered. Also, are Malema's rants now the ANC's official views too?," questioned Ndlovu.