DA condemns ActionSA’s xenophobic actions

4 August 2022

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Angel Khanyile MP.

The DA condemns ActionSA (ASA) councillor and MMC for economic development in the City of Johannesburg, Nkululeko Mbundu’s incitement of violence against the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) and the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF).

This after the non-profit human rights organisation and SAITF challenged Mbundu and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD) illegal prohibition of informal traders working at the De Villiers trading precinct in Johannesburg. The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg found that Mbundu and the JMPD had violated a Constitutional Court order that prohibits the City from interfering with the rights of informal traders.

Given his historic xenophobic rants, it is hardly surprising that ASA leader Herman Mashaba supported Mbundu when he tweeted that Seri and SAITF were protecting the rights of illegal immigrants, and tried to defend the distribution of photos of Seri staff with their phone numbers on social media platforms.

ASA blaming foreign nationals for their own failures is a play straight out of the ANC’s playbook.

Mbundu’s Twitter thread clearly pushes the false narrative that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are an enemy to South Africans. He also saw fit to tweet the following threat, “We are at DeVilliers daily. @JoburgMPD are very keen to do the work they’ve been assigned. Let’s support them” [sic], and failed to stop the incitement to violence when his followers tweeted the following: “give those lawyers a friendly call bahlali tell them to back off or else. We cannot surrender our country because of constitution”, “We are making a mistake if we think foreigners and their proxy aka NGOs will leave the city and country without a fight, instead we should fight back hard”, “We can't surrender our city to this aliens,all Operation Dudula members and concern citizens lets decend to Devilliers street tomorrow!!!” [sic]

Not only did Mbundu misrepresent the High Court’s findings, thereby attacking the judiciary, he gleefully allowed the xenophobic threats against foreign nationals and Seri staff.

In a country where attacking and killing whistleblowers and activists have become all too common, Mbundu encouraged a narrative that might lead to violence against innocent people. Should anyone be harmed because of his bigotry, their blood will be on his and Mashaba’s hands and the DA will ensure that charges are laid against them as well as the perpetrators of violence.

Foreign nationals cannot continue to bear the brunt for a broken government.

Issued by Angel Khanyile, DA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, 4 August 2022