Jewish Board wants Fransman probed

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

Marius Fransman has admitted that the ANC-run Cederberg municipality is in a state of chaos.

Cape Town - The SA Jewish Board of Deputies says it has asked the SA Human Rights Commission to probe “inflammatory remarks” made by ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman on a Muslim community radio station last month.

In an interview on Voice of the Cape, Fransman said the DA had handed to Jewish businessmen building contracts in Woodstock and Observatory previously awarded to Muslim businesses, according to the station’s website.

Fransman on Tuesday night rejected the board’s move, saying it was driving “an interest outside the national interest”.

In a statement on Tuesday, the board said the decision to approach the commission came after Fransman’s office had failed to respond to requests for a meeting to discuss his statements.

“The substance and context of these remarks clearly intimated that in the view of Mr Fransman and his party, the Jewish community in Cape Town was unfairly benefiting economically at the expense of the Muslim community,” the statement read.

Board national chairwoman Mary Kluk said:

“The SAJBD unequivocally condemns attempts to pursue political goals through resorting to such inflammatory practices.”

Fransman said: “The SAJBD is driving an interest outside of the national interest. I’m calling on them to be equally vigilant about issues like substance abuse.” He said he had met the board many times over the last year.

“What we are asking them to do is to focus on problems such as service delivery. They must also be vocal when small businesses of Muslims are not getting opportunities.”

Fransman was speaking as Western Cape ANC leader in the Voice of the Cape interview.

Kluk said the religious affiliations of the individuals should have been regarded as irrelevant.

“It can only be inferred that his purpose in doing so was to solicit Muslim support for his party, by suggesting that a rival political party was promoting Jewish economic interests at the expense of Muslims.”

Pitting one religious community against another for vote-catching purposes was deplorable.

aziz.hartley@inl.co.za

Cape Times