STATEMENT BY FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, THABO MBEKI, ON THE RESIGNATION OF MMUSI MAIMANE, ATHOL TROLLIP AND HERMAN MASHABA FROM SENIOR DA POSITIONS AND THE DA.
October 24, 2019
I have understood from the statements made by the various leaders of the Democratic Alliance (DA), including Mr Mmusi Maimane, that the current developments within the DA have to do with the continuing challenge of racism in our country.
In this context, I wish to emphasise that, consistent with our Constitution, all our registered political formations have an absolute obligation practically to contribute to the national effort to make ours a non-racial country.
It would be a matter of the greatest concern if it were in fact true that our country's Official Opposition, the DA, is going through a leadership crisis because of a hegemonic ascendance of a racist tendency which seeks to assert policies to that end, thus to sustain colonial and apartheid social relations.
The millions of our people and our Constitutional order will gain absolutely nothing from any negative movement in any of our political parties towards policies based on racism.