We oppose those who want to bring back Apartheid

Note to Editors: This extract is based on a speech delivered by the DA Youth Leader at a protest against the policies of the Kleinfontein "whites-only" settlement.

I am here to deliver a simple message to the people of Kleinfontein. We opposed apartheid in the past. And we oppose those who want to bring it back today.

Racial exclusion is not acceptable. Communities like this one, where some people are welcome, and others are not, cannot be tolerated.

This kind of racial exclusivity has no place in a democratic South Africa. We cannot have "no-go areas". Your desire to secede from our country is not legal - we cannot have a state, a municipality or a province just for one race group. 

We all live in the new South Africa! This is 2013, not 1913! The time has come for all South Africans to embrace each other, and to leave racism behind! 

There is so much to be optimistic and excited about in South Africa today. There is a new generation of young South Africans coming forward. We are more united, more determined to work for a better future. We are more respectful towards each other than our grandparents or even our parents could have dreamed of. 

I see it happening in the DA Youth every day. Look at us gathered here. We are the personification of the new South Africa. We are united, we are diverse, we are here because we share the same values and because we want to work together to make our country better.

Every time we start a new DA Youth branch, I see it. With every SRC election across the country, I see an ever-increasing group of diverse students supporting us. The vast majority of South Africans from all backgrounds want us to work together. 

We need this, because the challenges we face are too big to leave to only one sector of society. Progress has been made since 1994, but now we need to radically increase the pace of improvement. 

We need more jobs for young people. We need to fix our education system. We need to help people start small businesses. We need to make sure every South African feels safe. We need to overcome the apartheid economic legacy, where some have wealth and others are locked out of opportunity. 

We need everyone to come together to tackle these challenges. We need our teachers to perform and be accountable. We need businesses to give young people a chance with employment opportunities. We need government to deliver on its promises. We need everyone to work together to root out corrupt politicians and corrupt government officials. 

This is why Kleinfontein makes me so sad. This group of people has chosen to isolate itself from the rest of South Africa, because it lives in fear of those who are different from it. 

But in so doing, the people of Kleinfontein are much worse off. They do not get to participate in building a better country with us. Instead, they are hiding in this little enclave, cut off from the progress being made by the rest of us. 

The actions of the Kleinfontein community are deeply offensive to me personally. I am certain the vast majority of South Africans would agree. By creating a "whites-only" area, this community is saying that it has no respect for people who are different from them. It is saying that it fears people who are different. It is saying that we are somehow not good enough for them. 

In a country where everyone is equal, this should not be allowed to happen. 

In the DA's vision for the future, a place like Klipfontein would be inconceivable. In our vision for the future, everyone would respect each other. Everyone would be free to go where they want to. And everyone would be free to do business wherever they want to. 

A DA-government would do everything in its power to discourage and dismantle places like Klipfontein!

In those places where this kind of racism still exists, we must reject it and showcase our disapproval - just like we are doing today. 

But Nelson Mandela taught us an important lesson: We can do an enormous amount of good by bringing people together, and reconciling our differences. 

That is why we want to change the apartheid mindsets that are still prevalent in places like Kleinfontein. We just need to listen to each other, and respect each other. 

Where possible, we must engage with these communities to make them see the value of diversity and unity. That is partly why we are here today. To show this community what a diverse group of young people look like. To show them that it is possible for a diverse organisation - like the DA Youth - to work together effectively.

We must do this, because South Africa needs every community to bring its skills, its knowledge, its ingenuity, its history, its culture and its people to play their part in building a better future for all of us together. 

I would therefore like to offer the people of Kleinfontein a new direction: Open your gates, and let South Africa in. Meet with us, and you will learn that we are all human beings, and that we all deserve the same respect.

EARLIER STATEMENT:

DA Youth protest to continue peacefully, despite threats

The DA Youth protest outside Kleinfontein this morning will continue as planned. 

We will gather peacefully, and we will deliver a message of unity, reconciliation and hope. 

We have received reports this morning that several bakkieloads of AWB members have been dispatched to Kleinfontein, and that a number of men on horseback are guarding the entrance to Kleinfontein.

I want to make it absolutely clear: The DA Youth will not engage in or incite violence of any kind, but we will not be deterred by threats of violence either. Our protest will be peaceful and it will bring a message of reconciliation and unity to the people of Kleinfontein. 

I have received a threatening sms from a member of the Kleinfontein community this morning. The sms, which was written in Afrikaans, concludes by saying: "Onthou, jy is verantwoordelik vir hulle veiligheid. As daar iets met julle gebeur is dit op jou hande." (Remember that you are responsible for the safety (of your members). If something were to happen to you today, it is on you.)

We will not be deterred by these threats. We will stand up to those who want to continue living in apartheid. 

The DA fought against apartheid, and we will stand up to anyone who wants to bring it back. 

Statements issued by Mbali Ntuli, DA Youth Leader, May 23 2013

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