Speech delivered by Jabu Mahlangu in the National Assembly during the Debate on the increasing racial tension and conflict in South Africa, Particularly on University Campuses; Its detrimental effect on Economic Growth, Employment, Education and service delivery and possible solution to the crisis-Tuesday, 8 March 2016

8 March 2016

In leading the fight for non-racialism, the late President of the African National Congress (ANC), Comrade Oliver Reginald (OR) Tambo had warned us that racism bedevils human relations, brutalises entire peoples, destroys persons, warps thought processes and injects into human society a foul air of tension, mutual antagonism and hatred.

He said, (I quote)" When subjected to institutionalised racism, victims often internalises the racism of the perpetrators. This involves turning in on oneself, blaming oneself, holding the perpetrators in high esteem and regarding the system of racial oppression as natural (Close quote)"

The late President OR Tambo had cautioned that the consequences of internalised racism are often manifest in low self-esteem and self-loathing, which can lead to high levels of abuse of the most vulnerable within the oppressed group (such as women and children) and a general prevalence of inwardly directed violence.

Honourable Speaker, unlike those of our compatriots who had benefitted from and embraced racism, the overwhelming majority of South Africans who were victimised by the brutal system of segregation and apartheid have always rejected racism.

We rejected racism because it demeans and dehumanises both victim and practitioner, locking them into the vile relationship of master race and countermen, superior and underling, each with his position defined by race.

As we have seen in recent weeks, the resurgence of racism including opposition to revised language policies at Stellenbosch, Pretoria and Free State Universities supported by descendants of beneficiaries of racist apartheid policies.

The foul air of tension, mutual antagonism and hatred at our institutions of higher learning has its origin from a longing for pigmentocracy, social, economic and cultural dominance that characterised Afrikaner nationalism.

Reactionary formations like the Freedom Front Plus and its right-wing partners, the AfriForum are fuelling the foul air of tension, mutual antagonism and hatred because they are opposed to transformation of higher education and the shaping of democratic multilingual language policies and practices that reflect the aspirations of our constitution.

We are nonetheless encouraged that universities which were enclaves of Afrikaner nationalism seem eager to adopt progressive language policies.

Our young people are increasingly rejecting racial hatred and the indoctrination of right-wing youth camps. In the mist of racial chaos, we have seen them reach out to one another and holding hands determined to overcome forces of hatred and those opposed to transformation.

They do not need the Mulder brothers to distort the non-racial policies of the ANC because they understand what the late world icon and former President Nelson Mandela meant when he said:

"(I quote) "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."(Close quote) 

Honourable Speaker, the preamble to our constitution recognises the historical obligation for redress, and to correct the wrongs of the past and to affirm the historically disadvantaged that includes the redress of the skewed economic ownership and land disposition.

It acknowledges that we cannot achieve unity and social cohesion without reducing the gaps of inequality, unemployment and poverty between rich and poor, black and white, women and men, city and country.

Without unity, the nation cannot hope to correct the wrongs of the past. Without correcting the wrongs of the past, unity would be superficial.

Sadly, not all of us in this august house support the urgent need to reduce inequality of opportunity, redress and enabling the sharing of common space.

We need to awaken the populace to speak when things go wrong and to be active in their own development.

Over and above promoting the knowledge of the constitution and fostering the values it espouses. We as the ANC wish to reiterate our call for strengthening of laws that protect and promote human dignity and equality by criminalising racism.

Establishing a National Register of Racist Offenders (NRRO) as part of tightening legislation to deal with racism will ensure that racists are blacklisted.

Making the register accessible to embassies will assist them with screening of visa applications as well as work permits to keep racists from their countries.

The recent banning of a Mr De Waal, a trainer employed by Capital Outsourcing Group, a South African-based company for alleged ill-treatment and racism towards Mozambican workers in Maputo suggest that we urgently need the register to protect our country from those who have a potential to dent its image on the continent and abroad.

Through the register ,we will guaranteed that those who share racist prejudice with Penny Sparrow, Gareth Cliff, Chris Hart, including three Cape Town Table View youngsters that brutally assaulted Sonwabile Jakuja and left him to die, those posting racists comments on the AfriForum Jeug Facebook page are not an embarrassment elsewhere.

Criminalising racism will also rid this house and other public institutions of those found guilty of hate speech like the DA's honourable Diane Kohler-Barnard and councillor Chris Roberts.

Victims of racism like Elnah Sekwane from Middelburg who was allegedly suffered humiliation when she was referred to with a K-word and a BEE thrash on her birthday outing at a restaurant owned by a DA mayoral candidate must feel that the law in on their side and not protecting perpetrators.

We agree wholly with Standard Bank CEO, Sim Tshabalala that open or subtle racism hurts its victims terribly, it weakens the fabric of society, poisons politics and erodes the trust and the optimism on which economic growth depends.

As he said, our history has taught us that racism can lead directly to systematic cruelty and appalling violence.

We welcome his assertion that transformation is not a choice, indeed, all of us have a legal and moral duty to work hard to promote the transformation and enter a new phase of open and serious dialogue about race and racism in our country.

We challenge the business sector to demonstrate its commitment to transformation by the aspirations and values expressed in our Constitution; by the legal force of its equality clause; and in terms of precisely detailed legislation including the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Labour Relations Act.

As peace-loving South Africans, we have a responsibility to join hands across our many divides to build a nation united in its diversity.

We recognise and appreciate the role of every South African in realising our aspiration of a common nationhood and call on all sectors of society to rally behind the vision of building a South Africa as enshrined in the Freedom Charter, a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it.

We should remain united in our diversity and committed to the on-going transformation based on the ideals that so many that had come before us laid down their lives for.

As a people we must reverse and reject racists, racist organisations and apologists for racism.

Ngiyathokoza

Issued by the ANC Caucus, 8 March 2016