No real consequences for racist behaviour in South Africa, says EFF

There are no real consequences for anti-black and racist behaviour in the country, the Economic Freedom Fighters said on Monday.

Party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said anti-black racism in South Africa had become normalised. 

"Twenty-two years after democracy, white people in South Africa continue to wear white supremacy with pride in our public and social media spaces. 

"What used to be closed-door dinner conversations are now being hanged in the open and in full view of everyone through status updates on Facebook and Twitter," he said in a statement.

This follows a Facebook post by KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow, who compared black people to monkeys.

In her post Sparrow wrote: "These monkeys that are allowed to be released on New Year’s eve and New Year’s day on to public beaches towns etc obviously have no education what so ever so to allow them loose is inviting huge dirt and troubles and discomfort to others."

Ndlozi said the posts were a manifestation, and the result, of a failed reconciliation project which was conceptualised without justice in the first place.

"These posts talk about black people as "barbaric", as "animals", "dirty" and as not belonging in public beach spaces as apartheid would have them be.

"Why would racists never fear thinking, writing and openly declaring their racism in South Africa? It is because there is nothing that will happen to them. They do not lose any privilege and benefit from being anti-black racists."

The party blamed the African National Congress for the comfort enjoyed by "white racists". 

"It taught them to just say sorry and life will move on as normal. This is despite the reality that white people's anti-black racism is responsible for the collective impoverishment and dispossession of black people, as well as the systematic human rights abuse in the form of colonisation and apartheid."

The Democratic Alliance said they would suspend Sparrow from the party, while the ANCYL condemned her post.

Source: News24