Durban - Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has advocated a new world order in which the next generation will not be judged by the colour of their skin.
She was addressing the Black Lawyers’ Association on Saturday on racism at a meeting held in Pietermaritzburg. Madonsela said some people were surprised at the rise of racism on social media. She insisted that all forms of discrimination and inequality be dismantled.
“Racist expression, including hate speech, is a small part if it’s compared with unarticulated words. It hurts most if words are not spoken because you never know what the next person is thinking about you”.
She said racism hurt because it undermined human dignity and social cohesion whether intended or not.
“The sting lasts far more when it is intended. The person who says to you I am not racist while passing on racist remarks and pretends it is business as usual shows ignorance and that hurts.”
She said the dialogue on the subject was timely because black lawyers had been tackling the issue of racism for years in their practices. Madonsela recalled that the association had recently protested against someone who had passed racist remarks and that was a symbol of what it stood for.
“We also need to rethink our position on broad economic empowerment,” Madonsela said, “failure to do a job is not based on the colour of the skin but it depends on individuals.”
Sunday Tribune