Johannesburg – The African National Congress (ANC) on Wednesday dismissed the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane’s speech against racism, saying his party was merely paying “lip service” to the matter.
“Whilst Maimane yesterday waxed lyrical in his elaborate theatrical charade that racists are neither welcome nor should vote for the DA, a few weeks ago his party gave unrepentant racist Dianne Kohler-Barnard a Christmas present to return to her parliamentary post as a reward for her racism and promotion of apartheid,” said the ANC in a statement issued by the office of its chief whip.
Kohler-Barnard successfully appealed her explusion from the DA in December after she was kicked out for sharing a message on social media that praised the apartheid-era president PW Botha.
On Tuesday Maimane said centuries of colonialism and apartheid conditioned black people to feel inferior, something that needed to be addressed.
“I can’t tell you how many times I am told by black South Africans that I have done well because I happen to be married to a white South African. Apartheid was so dehumanising that often, even today, white South Africa remains the benchmark that we set for ourselves,” said the DA leader, who was addressing an open forum of journalists, opinion makers and party members during a discussion on race and identity.
The meeting was held at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.
“Racists are not welcome in the DA. If you are thinking of voting for the DA and you are a racist, please don’t,” said Maimane.
But the ANC said: “As DA leader Mmusi Maimane yesterday staged a big live-television sham, paying lip service to his party’s commitment to non-racialism, his senior MP in Parliament (Kohler-Barnard) would have to account to the ethics committee regarding her racism, including openly promoting the evil and murderous system of apartheid”.
The ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani, last month, wrote to the parliamentary ethics committee requesting it to probe Kohler-Barnard regarding her conduct.
“As we recently stated, the disturbing acts of overt racism and open glorification of apartheid by the likes of Kohler-Barnard, and the indifference with which they are being dealt with, are instructive regarding the need to tighten the legislation to ensure such elements are removed from society,” said the ANC.
“The conduct of this DA MP and her ilk dehumanises the great majority of our people and robs them of their dignity and thus must never be left merely to the internal subjective processes of their parties or companies.”
African News Agency
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