ANC STATEMENT ON ALLEGATIONS OF RACISM PERPETUATED BY THE DA ADMINISTRATION IN THE WESTERN CAPE

The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape has received information suggesting that the Democratic Alliance (DA) - Mr MP Du Plessis, Acting Municipal Manager of Stellenbosch Municipality and Mr Anton Bredell, MEC for Local Government, in particular - continue to perpetuate racism in the province. This is a subversion of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, something the leader of the DA Hellen Zille needs to directly respond to.

If the veracity of this information is confirmed, then the DA would have serious questions to answer regarding the role and place of the DA in our new democratic dispensation. The ANC has decided to take this matter to Human Rights Commission and Equality Court for investigation and redress.

In the meantime, we would like to focus the attention of the people of the Western Cape, the media and all opinion makers in our country on what could possibly constitute the ultimate un-masking of the DA as a home of old style apartheid verkrampte faction.

Indeed, the recent provincial conference of the DA constituted a ‘sweet' victory for this faction of the DA led by the likes of Bredell, Theuns Botha and actively supported by people like DU Plessis - who all hold senior positions in the provincial and local government, throughout the Western Cape.

And, given their location in influential and strategic positions in party and state (not unlike the old Broederbond), it would seem that the majority of coloured voters who support the DA in good faith, would remain inferior, irrelevant voting cattle. What is becoming increasingly certain is that this group holds sway over the DA, certainly in the Western Cape and as long as this remains the case, our province will never shed its its racially exclusive character.

Du Plessis nonchalantly refers to African officials and councillors as kaffirs and coloured people as hotnots, whilst in conversation with the MEC. The tone of the email suggests that the two are kindred spirit and share their back ward racial views. We note with interest that when she appointed them, Hellen Zile made the point that her all-male cabinet represented the best in brains and morality in the DA.

The question to ask leader of the DA in the Western Cape is this: does this conduct chime with the principles of the DA, and more importantly, will the DA act swiftly and remove Bredell from office, or will it be the usual double-standard and hypocrisy?

Mr Du Plessis was clearly at the DA conference and apparently a' cadre deployee'o:
the DA since he was deployed by Bredell to the Municipality, in fact, he was seconded from the City to the Province by the Premier and then to the Stellenbosch Municipality. Loyal members of the DA are being rewarded for "good work" done in the party by giving them senior government posts. The e-mail reveals that Du Plessis is trying to re-employ Mortimer, who was convicted by a court of law and expelled from Stellenbosch Municipality for abuse of Municipal resources. And this, with the acquiescence of the MEC for Local Government, who is supposed to be the custodian of clean government.

Interestingly, the e-mail also exposes the DA's agenda of using provincial government to take control of municipalities where they are not in control by putting them under administration. The ANC will actively oppose this and engage the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, for intervention. The MEC is being given feedback about how the purging of kaffirs and hotnots is proceeding and it seems Patricia De Lille, leader of the ID is allowing herself to be used as pawn in pursuance of a racist agenda. Since we have established that there has indeed, been contact between Ms. De Lille and Du Plessis, regarding the deve1opment in Stellenbosch, we surmise that there may very well be an element of credibility in the contents of this mail.

The ANC wishes to take this opportunity to call on all people in the Western Cape to unite against racism and help usher in a racially and culturally inclusive society. We further call on councillors and officials in the Stellenbosch Municipality to come out in support in the campaign to speedily remove Du Plessis from Stellenbosch, pending the outcome of investigation to his conduct.

As a party whose members and leaders fought, died, were tortured, exiled and experienced untold hardships, all for the sake of non-racialism and an end to human hatred, we in the ANC wish to pose some pertinent questions to the DA leadership.

To Helen Zille, we say: there is prima facie evidence of racism, corruption and subversion of the law, at the highest level in your provincial government - put your money where your mouth is and act swiftly. We would also like to advice Ms. Zille to spend less time jet-setting around the country and to give serious attention to the cancer of racism in her party in the Western Cape. As you rightly express your concern about the level of intolerance in our country, will you show courage and leadership by slaying the dragon of racism wreaking havoc in your party and threatening to destroy our democracy and our endeavours to build national unity and cohesion.

For further enquiries contact Mandla Dlamini

Statement issued by the ANC Western Cape, April 7 2010

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