Pretoria - The Tshwane municipality has declined the ANC Youth League's application to protest near the Afrikaans is Groot (AIG) music concerts in Pretoria, organisers said on Wednesday.
“With this we would like to confirm to concertgoers, who might 1/8have 3/8 had security concerns, that this issue has now been resolved,” AIG spokesman Barnard Beukman said in a statement.
“We welcome the situation where concertgoers now may attend the concerts in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy the music.”
The ANC Youth League had planned to march against Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr, who was due to participate in the AIG events at Moreleta Church between November 14 and 22.
Hofmeyr has been in the spotlight following tweets about apartheid.
In October, Hofmeyr tweeted: “Sorry to offend but in my books Blacks were the architects of Apartheid. Go figure.”
The tweet caused a stir on social media and Hofmeyr was accused of being racist, stupid, and a peddler of ignorance.
A column in The Times by ventriloquist and comedian Conrad Koch questioned supermarket Pick n Pay and Land Rover for sponsoring the AIG festival.
ANCYL in Tshwane called on progressive Afrikaners to reject people like Hofmeyr, who disseminated “racial venom”.
The organisation said while they fully respected the right of all national groups to practise their cultures in peace, they wholeheartedly condemned the statements made by Hofmeyr.
“We call on progressive Afrikaners to reject and isolate those who insist on spreading racial venom,” spokesman Justin de Swardt said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We cannot allow racism to occur without consequence and it is thus critical that we make this call for the isolation and confrontation of racist elements.”
On Tuesday, Beukman said effective security measures were in place at the concert venue.
“Therefore an appeal is made to concertgoers to exercise their right to come and experience the concerts they paid to attend,” he said.
Sapa