SONTI AND MALEMA's "SHANGAAN" SLUR IN THE HOUSE
17 March 2015
The Office of the ANC Chief Whip condemns in the strongest terms the usage of the name of one of our nationalities, Shangaans, by EFF MPs Julius Malema and Rosemary Sonti to disparagingly refer to African foreigners during today's sitting of the National Assembly.
At today's session of the House, Sonti alleged that toilets in the townships are being sold to "Shangaans", a disparaging slur which her leader Malema unashamedly confirmed it refers to African foreigners. The usage of such offensive slurs is unacceptable not only in the House of Parliament but also in our society.
It is shameful that these two public representatives not only condone such language but actually use it even on a public platform of Parliament. Reference to African foreigners using names such as Makwerekwere and Shangaans, particularly by party leaders, is irresponsible and perpetuates xenophobic and ethnic stereotypes in our communities. Foreign nationals from Africa should not be referred to in such inappropriate terms.
The Shangaan people are the native citizens of this country, and it is thus deplorable that their nationality should be used as a slur against foreign African nationals. The utterances of both Sonti and Malema, which exhibit disdain for both African foreign nationals and our Shangaan compatriots, smacks of xenophobia and tribalism of the worst kind.
We condemn these utterances and call upon both Sonto and Malema to withdraw and apologise to African foreigners and Shangaan people for such offensive utterances. Their irresponsible utterances are a direct affront to the principles of unity and diversity enshrined in of our democratic Constitution.
When such statements are made by public representatives, they have the potential to incite divisions not only between African foreigners and locals but also amongst various communities in our country.
Statement issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip, March 17 2015
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
