He said the 53-member body is "presided over by the coloniser" and to respect the Commonwealth "perpetuates white supremacy".

British Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the body founded in 1931. Her son, Prince Charles, has been lined up as her successor.

Mr Malema also said that South African judges should stop wearing judicial wigs, which he sees as a colonial relic:

Economic Freedom Fighters? @EFFSouthAfrica

 #EFFMediaBriefing Malema: It is through small things that we can achieve the total freedom of South Africa. Like that wig that judges wear, what is that? Does it mean that you can only think when you wear the hair that resembles that of a white man?

4:29 AM - Aug 28, 2018

His comments came despite the fact that after the end of apartheid, South Africa scrapped the requirement that judges wear wigs.