DA KZN: ANC practicing double-speak on racism
23 March 2016
LIKE all members in this House, I am a South African. My mother was of Afrikaner decent and my father of Dutch decent. Many in this chamber would be of isiZulu, isiXhosa, English, Afrikaans and Indian decent, truly representative of the rainbow nation we call South Africa.
What makes us South Africans? One thing! The rule book! It’s called the Constitution. We all accepted the Constitution. That’s what makes us South Africans.
Sadly, I grew up in an era where racism was legislated and enforced through draconian laws. I did not take to the streets with an AK 47 nor was I arrested or incarcerated but I did vehemently oppose the National Party regime on many fronts, so much so that it caused immense disunion between myself and my father. Does this make me less of a South African?
My first recollection of racism was in 1968 at the age of 7 where I attended school in Pietermaritzburg. On a particular day I had to take the bus to school and our helper, Elisabeth Makatini accompanied me on the journey. It was only once I was on the bus that I discovered that Elisabeth had to sit in the back of the bus and I had to sit in front. When I refused and joined her at the back, the driver stopped the vehicle and evicted us both from the bus.
As a nation we have come a long way from those morbid days and should acknowledge such, however racism is still alive and well.
We have two types of racism confronting us today, inherent racism and opportunistic racism. Both are compounded by inequality, inequality in education, healthcare and in our economy. Racism is structural, systemic and institutionalised.
Inherent racism is driven by narrow-minded and self-centred individuals across all race groups. It is not just one race group that perpetuates this cancer and the solution to cancer to remove it from the body.
The truth of the matter is that opportunistic racism perpetuates inherent racism.
Opportunistic racism is currently used to drive political agenda’s by the governing party - a dangerous game which could have dire consequences for our fragile democracy.
Allow me to give two examples of recent opportunistic racism.
Just recently a media briefing was held by the ANC to welcome three defected DA councillors to the ANC. In the briefing the leader of the ANC in the province, Sihle Zikalala claimed the reason the councillors defected was as a result of racism within the DA. However, when the media questioned the councillors themselves, they bluntly denied any form of racism.
Just yesterday I bumped into the Deputy Mayor of Kokstad Bheki Mtolo outside these very buildings. In his discussion with me he commented that the ANC was a political organisation for black people and that the DA was nothing more than a white organisation and black people would realise this.
He continued that this municipal election was going to be war and that there would be blood on the floor!
This is highly irresponsible talk from two so-called political leaders who appear opportunistic in seeking to further their political agendas on the basis of racial divisions.
It is ironic that while the ANC incessantly accuses the DA of being a white racist party, it still dispatched Zweli Mkhize to try to convince me to join the ANC.
As leaders we cannot continue to bemoan and castigate inherent racists in our community and then still perpetuate racism for political carpetbaggery.
True leaders should lead from the front and by example. They should not fuel the flames of racism, any leaders found wanting should be discarded on the racist waste disposal site.
Until we have addressed the injustices of the past through redress and delivery there can be no true reconciliation. For this to happen South Africa needs an effective and truly committed government. It needs leaders who place the needs of its citizens first, a notion the ANC has inherently failed at.
Issued by Francois Rodgers , Member of the DA in the KZN Legislature, 23 March 2016
