Durban - The ANC has called on its members to distance themselves from the Mazibuye Africa Forum, a group which recently shot to prominence for its anti-Indian rhetoric.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Friday, the party said the comments by the forum were “toxic and anti-Indian” and therefore in sharp contrast with its policies.
Among other things, the forum has been advocating for Indians to lose their Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action status saying only Africans should be entitled to benefit from these policies.
But the ANC has rejected this saying calls for Africans only to benefit from BEE were hypocritical and unfortunate.
“Ignoring the immense contribution of other races to our freedom should be rejected,” the party said.
This rebuke comes a week after the ANC’s leadership in KwaZulu-Natal met representatives of the Mazibuye Africa Forum. The party said that at the meeting it had made it clear it was opposed to the statements made by the group.
The ANC said it had requested the meeting to ask the forum to refrain from associating itself with the ANC.
“The ANC is a non-sexist, non-racial, democratic liberation movement pursuing the National Democratic Revolution with an objective of liberating Africans in particular and Blacks in general from the imbalances of the past.
“We are not a group of misguided opportunists who are driven by hatred and narrow personal interests,” said ANC spokesman, Senzo Mkhize.
The statement comes after a similar assurance by ANC provincial chairperson Senzo Mchunu.
While the ANC disagreed with the forum’s stance, it said in keeping with the principles of democracy it was willing to continue engaging with it.
“The ANC meeting with the forum has agreed to constitute a team of four comrades to prepare for a broader meeting in order to listen to their concerns and provide them with tangible progress that has been made since 1994 in terms of uplifting Africans in particular and Blacks in general.”
The ANC warned that the campaign waged against Indians “is nothing but a divisive and chauvinistic approach that could end up pitting our people against each other”.
Daily News