Mantashe addressed over remarks
The attached letter was sent by TAU SA’s lawyers to the ANC's Secretary General, Mr. Gwede Mantashe.
This follows the remarks Mr. Mantashe made during a so-called anti-racism march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he accused TAU SA to be a racist organization.
"TAU SA never mentions the fact of race in any manner in the debate on agriculture. Unfortunately, the ANC does not have that same clean record," said TAU SA President, Mr. Louis Meintjes. "It is the ANC who pull out the racial card whenever he wants to, as Mr Mantashe did. It is the ANC government who draws up racially based legislation to protect itself against a minority.
"TAU SA supports the open market principle which is the necessary basis for food security. The ANC and Mr. Mantashe in his personal capacity, are not willing to talk about the economics of agriculture. They are just hiding behind their ideology that has failed everywhere else in the world . Now false racial arguments are uttered, loading an already tense society. The country cannot afford this, and TAU SA is not willing to a victim while the ANC appears to be the country's biggest racists. Mr. Mantashe must now face the consequences of his remarks," says Mr Meintjes.
MR GWEDE MANTASHE
Luthuli House
54 Sauer Street 54
Johannesburg
FOR ATTENTION: MR GWEDE MANTASHE
DEAR SIR,
RE: TAU- SA / YOURSELF & THE ANC
1. We act on behalf of the TAU- SA representing the interests of farmers, being mostly landowners.
2. We refer to your speech delivered at the Union Buildings, Pretoria on 21 January 2016 during the so called “march against racism”. You apparently acted in your capacity as Secretary- General and member of the ANC.
3. You made the following statements which is of grave concern and discomfort to our client: “It can’t be that only in 1913 people get dispossessed. We must help ourselves to our land, our people must access to land. The question of food security cannot be left to be the preserve of TAU-SA, a racist farmers’ organisation which want to create an impression that food production is a preserve of white farmers only. We can be farmers, but to be farmers we must have access to land. You can’t be a farmer unless you farm.’
4. Allegations that “…TAU-SA, a racist farmers’ organisation which want to create an impression that food production is a preserve of white farmers only…”, and similar statements, is false and devoid of all truth. It has led our client to believe that you and the ANC are intent upon discriminating against white people, and in particular white land owners.
5. This also appears from a further statement you had made namely: “Poverty, inequality and unemployment is traceable to land hunger and 1913, comrades, can’t be the cut-off date because by 1913 land was already stolen and taken away from us and 1913 only consolidated dispossession. Let’s move back...’
6. Our client has a serious problem with the abovementioned allegations, and specifically that vast tracks of land in South Africa were stolen from the indigenous people of South Africa by white people.
7. That is factually and historically simply incorrect. Firstly, the current land owners of land in South Africa have not stolen such land, but have lawfully obtained the land that they own. That has been the case in respect of most, if not all, of the land in South Africa for at least a century.
8. TAU- SA is not a racist organisation and do not create the impression that that food production is a preserve of white farmers only.
9. The allegations that were made by you and the ANC are made with the intent and innuendo to convey that:
9.1 that TAU-SA is a racist organization
9.2 that TAU-SA is creating an impression that food production is a preserve of white farmers only
9.3 white people who own land are thieves
9.4 the whites who came to South Africa were thieves, criminals and robbers
9.5 whites in South Africa stole land without remuneration or agreement
9.6 all black tribes were indigenous to South Africa when whites arrived in 1652
9.7 that all black people owned land in the whole of South Africa
9.8 that black people must “take back” land belonging to white people with or without compensation
10. We have instructions to demand from yourself and the ANC an unconditional written apology to TAU-SA and all white land owners in general in South Africa, for the hurtful, harmful and hatred infused statements you have made.
11. We advised our client that the statements were made with a clear intention to be hurtful, to be harmful, to incite harm and to promote or propagate hatred against TAU-SA and white land owners.
12. This constitutes hate speech in terms of section 10(1) of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, Nr 4 of 2000.
13. Should you and the ANC not be prepared to furnish an apology, our client will seriously consider taking the matter to the Equality Court for the necessary relief.
Yours faithfully
CJ VAN DYK
VAN DYK THERON
Statement issued by TAU SA, 3 March 2016
