Opposition leader Mmusi Maimane has today (Tuesday) warned that “racists” shouldn’t vote for the DA and they are not welcomed within the party. Maimane furthermore said for every racist comment that trended on social media, there were hundreds more that didn’t. He was addressing race relation issues in Johannesburg where he further listed subtle forms of racism such as looking down on others, as well as laughing at others who pronounced words differently.
“Let us stand together against racism. Let us acknowledge and confront the harsh material realities that so many black South Africans still face. Let us find each other again and let us build a nation, where we can prosper together.”
Maimane announced that in the coming weeks a policy document will be introduced and adopted within the DA’s Federal Council, which will contain a focused plan to overcome the structural inequalities that continue to divide South Africans.
“At the heart of it is the recognition that the majority of black South Africans remain locked out of opportunity. The policy identifies, the key obstacles to redressing this inequality, including our unequal education system, the skewed patterns of land ownership, the uneven access to justice and the concentration of capital in a few hands.”
Maimane’s address is in the wake of several racial incidents that shook the country and sparked objections on social media, including former estate agent Penny Sparrow, economist Chris Hart, eNews Channel Africa’s (eNCA) news anchor Andrew Barnes, among others. A huge #ZumaMustFall billboard was erected last Friday in Cape Town, which was also considered to be racist.
REFILWE GAESWE
