FF Plus will lay a charge of hate speech against Zuma for "Van Riebeeck" comments

The FF Plus will be laying a charge of hate speech against President Jacob Zuma and the ANC with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) following Zuma's comments that the country's problems started with the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck in South Africa, Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson on Communication, says.

According to reports in, amongst others, Netwerk24, Zuma said that what had followed on the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck was "numerous struggles wars and deaths and the grabbing of land and the denial of indigenous people's political and economic power".

Adv. Alberts says the FF Plus is of the opinion that the comments is polarising on a racial basis and is grossly insulting toward all white people in the country.

"It is un-presidential to make such comments in a country which is diverse and where the head of state governs over everybody. It is therefore the FF Plus' opinion that this was hate speech because white people are being made the scapegoats for everything which has gone wrong since 1652.

"The comments could in addition be historically disputed as it would be especially disturbing if it was to appear that this was the official view of the ANC. The Human Rights Commission must confront the ANC about this in order to establish whether the government has declared their hostility toward all white people," Adv. Alberts says.

He says the FF Plus will not only submit this complaint on behalf of all white people, but also on behalf of all communities in South Africa who wish to live in peace and who wish to get ahead.

"Such comments are highly divisive and could cause that not just white people are targeted in future, but all minorities.

"If the ANC is to continue on this road we could budget for huge conflicts in future and different communities in South Africa will eventually have no choice but to defend themselves by adopting various forms of remedial self-determination.

"It will be highly ironical if the ANC itself becomes the cause for a highly divided South Africa. This complaint is aimed at confronting the ANC about this," Adv. Alberts says.

Statement issued by Adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Communication, January 12 2015

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