DA racism revealed amidst claims about Mazibuko
The recent developments on the DA leadership conflict unmasked the real DA. It is a far cry from the PR exercise #Know Your DA led by emerging black DA leaders (see Sunday Independent report). In fact, the real DA remains mainly white, wealthy and privileged elite, which only elects black leaders if they will serve the interest of these elite and protect the ill-gotten gains of apartheid - the property and privilege of dispossession. Compliant blacks are put into positions as long as they don't threaten the establishment.
This reminds us of the puppet homeland leaders or those in the houses of representatives and delegates in the tri-cameral parliament. The ideology of co-option of the oppressed to work against their own liberation which was part of the Verwoerdian divide and rule remains entrenched in the new DA. It is slowly but surely being unmasked to show its true, prejudiced and backward face.
Our advice to the emerging black DA leaders is that they must not forget how former DA federal chairperson Joe ("Ceremonial") Seremane was unceremoniously ditched after he challenged to lead the DA against Helen Zille. He was quickly shown the door as his true use of sugarcoating the real DA was no longer needed. Lennit Max couldn't last as a DA leader when he was calling on coloured members to stop being voting cannon fodder for the rich elite, but to play a meaningful role in the leadership of the DA. The #Know Your DA campaign is a deceitful sham.
Mayor Patricia De Lille is frustrated by the real DA in the City of Cape Town that has undermined all her efforts to deal with entrenched elite interests. Soon, if not already, she will realise her appointment is just a sham to give legitimacy to the protection of apartheid privilege.
To protect the interest of the master as if they are your own, whilst perpetuating the very system that excludes black people from meaningful socio economic participation.
The stillborn attempt by Lindiwe Mazibuko and Musi Maimane as part of #Know Your DA to claim the DA ditched the Equal Opportunity Society to support the claimed redressing of apartheid economic exclusion through a diluted BBBEE policy has been meet with stiff resistance by another co-opted leader Dr. Wilmot James.
This only serves the interests of those with money and power. The real DA remains the party that protects privilege for some. It is looking for compliant house servant to take over from the current madam without threatening apartheid privilege... That's the real DA.
It is clear that the DA's past in apartheid racism is coming back to haunt it. As it tries to convince voters that it has a struggle history, the internal discourse of the party exposes the DA for what it is: A hot bed of discrimination and superiority bias.
In the leadership race to replace Helen Zille with a black candidate, the following has been revealed: According to Sunday's Independent "A DA leader who supports Maimane but who asked to remain anonymous said in addition to being the party's Gauteng premier candidate, the charismatic leader had been encouraged to apply to go to Parliament... We are saying that we are transforming, we want a black leader. Lindiwe is not black enough," the DA leader said."
In response ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman called on the DA to immediately apologise
"It's highly ironic that the Democratic Alliance has suddenly become experts on blackness. It is offensive to all South Africans that a political party with a troubled, racist past would select its leaders solely based on the colour of their skin. In public, the DA claims to be beyond race. But, behind the cloak of newspaper anonymity, it's clear that the race thinking of the past is alive and well within that party."
Fransman continued: "The ANC believes in a better life for all our people, not just a select few ‘fit for purpose' meritocrats. When South Africans hear the DA claiming that people are not ‘black enough' to lead, they're reminded not of the DA's sad attempt at revising history, but of the actual history of South Africa where coloured and black people were separated by a racist apartheid regime that sought to divide and conquer. Many DA leaders that today elect who should be black enough, were part of that regime.
"The ANC calls on the Democratic Alliance to unmask these racists in their ranks, deal with them and immediately apologise to not only Lindiwe Mazibuko, but to all South Africans. Clearly DA leader Helen Zille's dream of wooing (now Agang leader) Mamphela Ramphele to take over from her was a pipedream as Zille's party is not ready for that plan. Ramphele has been vindicated for rejecting Zille's advances as the DA would have embarrassed her!" Fransman concluded.
Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman, October 15 2013
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