The ANC statement on Hellen Zille's comment about the refugees

The Anc is vindicated by the statement made by Hellen Zille when she referred to the people of Eastern Cape who relocate to the Western Cape as refugees. This is typical of the erstwhile apartheid government's mentality that resorted to influx control measures to restrict black people from the so-called white areas.

Hellen Zille's racist statement underpins the DA's policy of exclusionism  of blacks.  She will never say the same thing about whites who relocate from one area of the country to the Western Cape or even those who relocate from other countries to the Western Cape.  To reduce South Africans who have free movement in their own country as refugees is tantamount to instigating against them by labeling them with a tag associated with foreigners.

We have always maintained that the DA views blacks as useful voters to win elections and nothing else. We call on all black DA members to see the DA for what it is, a white racist party. We also call on all those blacks who are in leadership structures of the DA for window dressing purposes to resign from the DA and not be used unduly.  Such utterances must not be tolerated as they generate a negative feeling in those who suffered under colonial and apartheid rule.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC National Spokesperson, March 21 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter