SAJBD associate director must apologise to the YCL and Wits 11 for his racism
Mr David Saks, associate director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) in his statement ‘Wits hooligans must be held accountable' makes several factual errors and racist statements.
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] has joined other progressive organisations and individuals calling for the charges to be dropped against the Wits 11 with immediate effect. Mr Saks, by calling the students "hooligans" reiterates the racism of the concert goers who called the students "monkeys" and told them to "go back to the jungle".
Contrary to Mr Saks claim that all is "fair and above board", the national director of the SAJBD, Wendy Kahn admitted to being in almost daily contact with the Wits legal office on this case. This is completely unprecedented in South African law and Wits history.
Mr Saks, instead of dealing with the substantive evidence of the SAJBD doing their utmost to end Jewish human rights activists support for the anti-apartheid movement against South Africa, chooses to deflect this ignoble part of his organisation's history by using racist slurs towards the YCL and the Wits 11.
The YCL would like to remind the SAJBD that we and "like-minded groupings" fought against racist rule, while the SAJBD supported white minority rule and a system that was declared by the United Nations to be a crime against humanity.
The SAJBD's support of apartheid can be starkly seen with its treatment of the YCL first secretary Cde Ruth First. As a Jewish anti-apartheid activist, Cde Ruth First was isolated and demonised by the SAJBD for her role in fighting against the brutalisation of black people. Ruth First paid the ultimate price for her principled stance when she died in exile at the hands of a letter bomb sent by the apartheid government.
Mr Saks has in the past been disciplined internally and made to apologise by the SAJBD for his homophobic and sexist comments. He should now be made to apologise for his racism.
Statement issued by Khaya Xaba, YCLSA National Spokesperson, May 19 2013
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