EFF STATEMENT ON THE DA'S DEEP ROOTED WHITE SUPREMACY
Saturday, 22 June 2024.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns the ongoing deep-rooted racism of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and its leaders. We note that the recently surfaced video of one of their leaders, Ian Cameron, where he is seen in blackface at an Afriforum protest in 2012 is just a symptom of a party that has failed to uproot itself from the horrors of white supremacy.
Blackface has its roots in 19th-century minstrel shows, where white performers would darken their skin with makeup to caricature and mock black people. These performances perpetuated harmful stereotypes, depicting black people as lazy, uneducated, and inferior, thereby reinforcing and justifying the racial hierarchies and systemic oppression of the time.
The legacy of blackface is a brutal reminder of the dehumanisation and violence inflicted upon black people. It is a symbol of the white supremacist ideologies that sought to strip black people of their dignity and humanity, reducing them to grotesque caricatures for the entertainment of white audiences.
This incident is not isolated but is part of a broader, troubling pattern within the DA. Recently, another DA MP, Renaldo Gouws, was uncovered for his racist rhetoric in a video where he used violent racist language, saying, "kill the k*ffirs, kill all the n*ggers." Another one of their MPs, Alf Lees, in November 2017, during a parliamentary debate, boldly stated that he would paint himself black with shoe polish.
True to the DA’s character, John Steenhuisen vigorously defended Lees when the EFF raised points of order on the dehumanising of black people. If DA’s leaders unashamedly flaunt their anti-black racism, how much worse is their constituency of voters?
The fact that the DA is the second largest political party tells us that white supremacy remains rife not just in politics but all sectors of society. Additionally, the party has demonstrated its inability to unequivocally condemn white supremacy. Further, the continued harbouring of leaders like Cameron, Gouws and Lees within their party highlights the incapacity of white supremacists to rehabilitate.
The DA therefore poses a significant danger to black people and our society as a whole, especially given that it deploys white supremacists to positions of power. Now, they have been emboldened further by the African National Congress (ANC) itself, which has sought refuge within the DA, actively empowering white supremacy in South Africa, including in their discussions with the FF+ about "recognising" Orania.
The EFF reasserts that South Africa does not need a party that perpetuates and tolerates white supremacy under the guise of political representation. The presence of these leaders within the DA exposes the party's belief in white supremacy and a blatant fight against genuine equality. The existence of the DA therefore undermines the democratic values that our nation stands for, and is a direct threat to the dignity and humanity of black South Africans.
South Africans who want to eradicate white supremacy, must squash the existence of DA in our political space and by extension, the ANC that has found sanctuary with white supremacist political parties.
Statement issued by the EFF, 22 June 2024
