Gauteng premier‚ David Makhura has slammed the xenophobic statements made by the mayor of Johannesburg‚ Herman Mashaba‚ which he says were an instrument to agitate residents against foreign nationals.
And for good measure‚ on Wednesday‚ he also condemning the recent Twitter post Western Cape Premier Helen Zille which suggested that the legacy of colonialism was not all bad.
Makhura said this while addressing various African communities and organisations gathered on a peaceful march against xenophobic attacks in the Johannesburg city centre on Tuesday.
"Do not worry about Mashaba. He is not the premier of Gauteng‚ the minister of Home Affairs or the President of the country. You do not need permission from him since these are issues dealt with at national government‚" he told them.
"If you feel you do not want to go to the land of the likes of Donald Trump‚ in which you are no longer welcomed‚ come to South Africa because here you are welcomed. Once you are in Gauteng‚ you are my problem."
- ‘Down with Mashaba’s statements’ – Joburg residents protest against xenophobiaVarious organisations gathered in the Johannesburg city centre on Tuesday to protest against xenophobia.
He said the provincial government was aware that the mayor had refused to accept memorandum from the leaders of the march.
"Give it to me and I will personally take it to him and he cannot refuse to take it from me."
Turning to the subject of Zille's tweets‚ he said‚ "I want to send a strong message to all the leaders who are apologists of colonialism in our country. We all know that colonialism and apartheid were equally bad. You can’t think any of them was good".
"We do not want artificial boundaries because colonialism has created lots of divisions amongst South Africans such as divisions of language which did not exist before. As a result‚ we have countries within countries.
- Maimane 'wants Zille to quit as premier'DA leader Mmusi Maimane wants Helen Zille to quit as Western Cape premier but the former Cape Town mayor will not go without a fight, sources say.
"We are all human and we must always relate to each other in that way. It does not matter what your religion‚ gender or origin is. This province was built on the back of migrants” he said.
The premier sent his condolences on the passing of the African National Congress Veteran‚ Ahmed Kathrada‚ who died on Tuesday morning.
- TMG Digital
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 