Cape Town – Sammy Claassen, ANC councillor in the Berg River Municipality on the West Coast, intends to start his own party soon after resigning.
He was suspended from the ANC last month for allegedly bringing the party into disrepute. He had accused the party's acting chairperson, Khaya Magaxa, of using a derogatory and racist word to refer to coloured people during the ANC conference of the West Coast on August 25 and 26.
Commenting on his intention to start a new party, Claassen told the SABC on Thursday: “I am embarking on a consultative process with communities and with coloured leaders across the country because I believe that there has never been a time and a window of opportunity for coloured unity to stand our ground because we are being marginalised, we are being sidelined.
"Our people don’t get jobs, don’t get houses and don’t get access to opportunities.”
The ANC in the Western Cape has welcomed Claassen's announcement.
At the time, Claassen described his suspension as a "ridiculous and shameful action by a desperate ANC".
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said last month the party had established that the alleged derogatory remarks were never made.
“We have engaged with our leadership of the West Coast region who were present at the regional conference and have gathered four affidavits which confirm that these statements were never made.
"The provincial working committee, having considered the affidavits, came to the unanimous decision to summarily suspend the membership of Sammy Claassen.”
Claasen, condemning a "one-sided process", believed his suspension was illegal and procedurally flawed as there had been no investigation.
"The ANC in the Western Cape is protecting the racists and racism. They haven't investigated the claim against Khaya Magaxa and they jumped to conclusions and are now on a political witch-hunt to get rid of myself.
"They asked me not to comment in public about this. It's like asking someone who is about to be murdered not to scream or call for help.
"I will not go down silently because I am the victim of a racist attack within the ANC," Claassen said last month.