Manyi's ideas should leave with him - Solidarity

The trade union Solidarity welcomed the decision to not renew the contract of Jimmy Manyi, the government spokesman. According to Solidarity the government should not only get rid of Manyi, but also his ideas about race and affirmative action. Manyi is known for his controversial ideas about race and especially his statement that brown people are overrepresented in the Western Cape and should spread through the whole country instead. The head of the Planning Commission, Minister Trevor Manuel, wrote in an open letter to Manyi that his racism had infiltrated the highest echelons of government.

Dirk Hermann, Solidarity Deputy General Secretary, said that Manyi's ideas had not only infiltrated the government, but had become its policy as well. "The Department of Correctional Services and the South African Police Service's affirmative action policy mirror Manyi's ideas and various courts have spoken out against this. The new concept amendments to the Employment Equity Act aim to strengthen Manyi's ideas by giving the Minister of Labour the power to enforce regulations which can force companies to use national demographics on a provincial level. We call on government to not only get rid of Manyi, but also his racist ideas," said Hermann.

Statement issued by Dirk Hermann, Deputy General Secretary: Solidarity, August 27 2012

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