EFF REAFFIRMS THE CIC MALEMA'S COMMENTS ON INDIAN RACISM AND EXPLOITATION

Monday, July 31, 2017

The EFF reaffirms the CIC Malema's comments condemning the exploitation and racism that Africans suffer from many Indian people, in particular South African Indian businesses. Speaking at the Anniversary celebrations of the EFF in Durban the CIC legitimately spoke against the existing exploitative working conditions under which Africans work in particular in Indian owned shops. 

Addressing the phenomenon of monopolising strategic tenders and business activities to a few families, the CIC also condemned the fact that many of the strategic tenders at local government level get to be dominated by Indian families in Durban. The CIC was very clear that we do not want dominance of any racial groups; our revolution has to do with the wealth being shared by all who work it. It is not about replacing white monopoly capitalism with either African monopoly or Indian monopoly.

We make no apology that each time we come across the suffering and oppression of our people, we shall not mince our words, nor tiptoe around false minority feelings. Oppression must be exposed and named for what it is. When Africans in many townships explode in xenophobic violence against Pakistanis and other Africans from the continent, we condemn them. When white farmers explode in anti-black racism against black farm workers, we condemn them. When men rape, we join in the condemnation represented in the public outcry that MenAreTrash. Equally, the racism that African people suffer in the hands of many Indian businesses and families must be condemned and must come to an end.

We shall never keep quite, particularly at the face of hypocritical criticism coming from convicted criminals like Shabbir Shaik who in order to avoid serving his sentence, went to fake terminal illness. We advice Shaik to focus on his fake illness before we have to call for his parole to be reviewed. It is precisely people like him who instead of confronting the racism African people suffer in the Indian community, they divert attention by making false alarms that EFF is inciting violence. The Indian community in Durban, and elsewhere in the country needs to confront its own ills and the normalised hatred African people experience amongst them. 

It is a fact that part of what Apartheid did for many years, was to create an impression that Indians are better blacks than Africans and Coloureds. This mentality has constituted the attitude of many Indian people in the ways in which they treat Africans in labour, business and general human relations. We reject this attitude and call its transformation, as well as a better treatment of Africans. 

Statement issued by Economic Freedom Fighters, 31 July 2017