ANC CONDEMNS GANDHI STATUE VANDALISM, XENOPHOBIA ATTACKS AND LAND GRABS

14 April 2015I

The ANC has also reiterated its condemnation of the ongoing violence against foreign nationals in Durban which has seen thousands of people displaced and their properties destroyed. ""We call on our people to distance themselves from these horrific acts done by a few individuals. Those who do it must be isolated and be reported to the police so that they can be prosecuted. We commend our provincial government and the eThekwini Municipality for providing assistance to all those who have been displaced. The decision to organise a march in solidarity with the displaced foreign nationals scheduled for Thursday this week is also commendable. We call on our people to take part in this march which will start at Durban's Curries Fountain Stadium and finish at the Durban City Hall.""

We call on all ANC branches to take a lead in stopping these attacks against the foreign nationals. As the ANC we should take it upon ourselves to preserve peace and co-existence among all sections of our society. The spreading of these attacks call on the ANC itself to work with Government, the Religious sector and all others in combating these violence.

Zikalala said it was incorrect that the King Goodwill Zwelithini had called for people to attack foreign nationals.

The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal has condemned the vandalism of a statue of lawyer and freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi in Johannesburg by brazen criminals and opportunists who have hijacked a noble course of dealing with the symbols that represents the racist past.

The role that Gandhi played in the painful liberation struggle in South Africa can't be questioned and disputed, said ANC Provincial Secretary Cde Sihle Zikalala. ""If Gandi was a racist as some among us claim, he would not have fought against the oppressors alongside many black South Africans. Although he was born in India, he always considered himself a South African and he spent 21 years of his life in South Africa enduring harassment from the oppressors simply he chose to fight against the oppression of black people and Indians,"" said Zikalala.

The ANC believed that there are some statues which represented the racist past that needed to be moved from the public places and be placed in museums where comprehensive information about them can be provided, added Zikalala. ""Gandhi's is definitely not one of those statues that have to be removed. We don't want even a single statue to be vandalised and those who do so must be arrested and be prosecuted,"" Zikalala said.

Zikalala also condemned land grab in Ballito allegedly staged by members of a political party on Sunday. ""We call on the law enforcement agencies to deal harshly with people who organise these land grabs. Our government has a clear and a constitutional plan of dealing with the issue of land and this plan is beginning to bear tangible fruits. We therefore call on our people not to be wood winked by political charlatans who organise these land grabs for their own political gains,"" he added. 

Statement issued by ANC KZN Provincial Secretary, Sihle Zikalala, April 14 2015