Following controversial tweets made by DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille that there were more racist laws in South Africa today than there were under apartheid, her views have been countered with lists of apartheid-era laws that have poured cold water over her claims.
Zille made the controversial tweets on Sunday, which sparked debate on social media about her conduct.
Yesterday, DA interim leader John Steenhuisen was forced to distance himself from the tweets, calling her claims "untrue".
The controversy has also seen senior DA members question her comments on social media. These include MP Phumzile van Damme and Mbali Nthuli, who is campaigning to lead the party.
Zille's tweets followed a High Court judgment that found against the DA's efforts to force the government not to consider BBBEE in the dispersing of Covid-19 relief funding.
The DA is appealing the ruling and believes the government cannot use race-based laws in a time of crisis.
Zille has been questioned by social media users to produce the list of laws she claims could be considered racist. She has not done so.
Twitter user Madeleine Fullard, who also runs the NPA’s missing persons tasks team, provided a list of apartheid-era laws that were listed in the TRC report. The laws are contained in volumes and according to Fullard provide proof that it was unjustifiable to claim that there were more racist laws in South Africa now than pre-1994.
Apartheid-era laws dealt with controlling the lives of black people and other racial groups to limit their prospects at the expense and success of the white population.
Some of the laws listed in the TRC report include race-based laws focused on workplaces security laws, political representation, land and property, education and urbanisation, Fullard explained in her tweets on Tuesday.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/helenzille?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@helenzillehas said the post-1994 democratic govt has passed more racial laws than the apartheid era did. Here's a handy thread from the TRC report Volume 1 on pre-1994 apartheid legislation. -
— Madeleine Fullard (@mfullard2)
Some of the laws include:
* Black Land Act No 12 of 1913 which prohibited black people from owning and renting land in certain areas.
* Native (Black) Urban Areas Act No 21 of 1923
* Black (Native) Administrative Act No 38 of 1927 which gave the government powers to move black people from areas without notice.
* Riotous Assemblies Act No 19 of 1930
* Representation of Blacks Act No 12 of 1936
* Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act No 55 of 1949 which prohibited marriages across racial lines
* Group Areas Act No 41 of 1950 which limited areas to be used by certain racial groups
* Black Natives Laws Amendment Act No 54 of 1952
* Black Education Act No 47 of 1953 which segregated the education system along racial lines
These were just some of the racist laws passed under apartheid.