Johannesburg - Wits University’s student representative council president, Mcebo Dlamini, has come under fire over his “I love Hitler” remark posted at the weekend.
Dlamini posted a photo to Facebook on Saturday comparing the Israeli government to the Nazi regime.
He wrote: “In every white person there is an element of Hitler…”
Dlamini defended his remarks, saying he “admired Hitler’s organisational skills”. He responded to the criticism: “I’m looking at the good Hitler stood for. He rebuilt the country, the economy, the infrastructure and he uplifted the spirit of Germany.”
Dlamini acknowledged that ignoring the fact that Hitler murdered millions of people would be ignorant. “I’m not saying he did not commit terrible atrocities, but not everything he did was bad. I’m admiring his ability to organise a nation and get the people to rally behind him.”
Wits SRC opposition party ProjectW, which has six seats on the SRC, has slated Dlamini’s comments.
“The view that all white people have a bit of Hitler in them is a racist attack and tantamount to hate speech,” ProjectW said in a statement.
“ProjectW denounces this (remark) as rhetorical hooliganism, the outcomes of which are the endorsement of Adolf Hitler as a role model.”
South African Union of Jewish Students national chairman Natan Pollack said Dlamini’s comments were “outrageous and racist”.
“We cannot move forward from the struggles of apartheid when we have South African people, let alone leaders, discriminating against minorities and their own people. His comments are absolute anti-Semitism and racism,” he said.
“A lot of people have one good trait, but it doesn’t say what kind of person they are. His argument is invalid and hypocritical,” Pollack added.
Wits vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib released a statement describing Dlamini’s “Facebook posts and subsequent comments as racist and offensive in the extreme”. “I am referring Mcebo Dlamini for investigation to see whether disciplinary charges should be brought against him in this regard.”
South African Centre for Religious Diversity chairwoman Rabbi Julia Margolis condemned Dlamini’s comments. “The view that Adolf Hitler was a great man whose leadership should be emulated is shocking to any thinking member of society,” she said.
The Star