On Dianne Kohler Barnard and the ANC

Dianne Kohler Barnard has been relegated to the back benches of the DA until the party decides what to do about the racist post she shared.

Personally I am of the opinion that she should be sacked.

If she agreed with the post she should be sacked for gross racism. If her excuse is true and she didn’t read it all the way through – well I don’t want someone voting for laws they didn’t read them all the way through.

Laws are generally written in far more complex language at far greater length than Facebook posts after all.

Now that said – Kohler Barnard was caught sharing an idiotic racist post on on her Facebook page.

The public protector recommended that Tina Joemat-Pettersson, in 2013, be disciplined over an R800 million fishing tender awarded to Sekunjalo Marine Service Consortium.

Now this isn’t to say one is more important than the other. The sort of racism that calls for the return of PW Botha isn't something I have to deal with every day so I can't say what it is like to do so, and thus it isn't for me to say what people choose to prioritise.

What I can say however is that corruption is a pretty important issue in our country, and how the ANC responded illustrated how much it really cares about it.

You can lie in words, but you can’t lie in deeds.

Kohler Barnard shared something grossly offensive, and is facing a disciplinary committee for it. Joemat-Pettersson was involved in dodgy tenders – and she is now the energy minister.

The ANC talks about opposing corruption, but let’s face it, it doesn’t. It just doesn’t. Cases like Joemat-Pettersson show that if anything, corruption gets you ahead within the party.

If the DA disciplines Barnard properly, and it remains consistent with other members who do similar stuff – then it can say that it opposes racism.

But if it simply reshuffles her until the heat dies down – then I am sorry I will have to see its stance on racism the same way I see the ANC’s stance on corruption.

I judge the DA the same way I judge the ANC, the same way I try to judge anything really – based on the evidence.

And that is the great test for the DA in the run up to the next elections – what does the evidence say regarding its relationship with racism?