The cartoon published by Eye Witness News (EWN) depicting ANC voters as clowns is an insult to black people in South Africa. It is a known fact that the majority of ANC voters are black. I am conscious of the fact that such cartoons may not necessarily reveal underlying racial prejudice in other democracies but this is South Africa.
Dr Jack & Curtis apology leaves much to be desired. "The cartoon was also meant to convey that in a constitutional democracy, WE The People (the Electorate), ultimately get the government that we deserve, and the punchline ‘WE the Poephols' was intended to hold us collectively accountable for this".
You must be a real clown if you take the "WE The People" and "collective accountability" as meaning the whole electorate as Dr Jack & Curtis would like us to believe. Why anyone who didn't vote for the ANC takes responsibility for president Zuma's cabinet? Please do not patronize us.
There are two kinds of government critics in South Africa, (1) those whose criticize the ANC government on policy and governance issues and (2) those who just criticize and despise anything that is black, and the authors of this cartoon and by extension, the editor of EWN belong to the latter. Only a racist would think that our Minister of Finance (Mr Nene) is a clown who knows nothing about his portfolio.
Dr Jack & Curtis apology further reveals how little regard they have for black South Africans. "Sometimes when one is too close to expressing one's own intentions, we lose sight of what others might see. We realise that this was such a case, and apologise unreservedly for any offence this has caused". Because you think of them (black voters) as clowns.
It seems racists in South Africa are gaining confidence once again. They seem to be moving away from closed internet chat groups. With no fear of censure, these racists are depositing their vile opinions in the mainstream and social media.
Behind this confidence is the control of what matters most, the South African economy. This is a pillar that white supremacy as an ideology stand on. Without the ownership of the economy, white supremacy has nothing to stand on.
The ANC lead government must begin to listen attentively to the not so coherent youth grumbles that have resulted to the establishment of the Economic Freedom Fighters. Cartoons such as this one further fuel these incoherent but highly combustible grumbles and eventually something will give.
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