'Racist' musos unfazed

01 September 2014 - 02:01 By Nivashni Nair
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Hip-hop group AmaCde yesterday said a complaint against one of its songs will give "African employees who experience abuse, mistreatment and exploitation at the hands of Indian employers a chance to make submissions" to the SA Human Rights Commission.

"We remain convinced that the song does not constitute hate speech and we hope that those who tasked the commission to probe the song are indigenous Zulu people as only they [would] be able to understand the Zulu idioms in the verses," the Durban group said.

"The complainant alleges that the lyrics of the song are derogatory and incite hatred [of] Indians," said Human Rights Commission spokesman Isaac Mangena. "The matter is being assessed by the commission with a view to investigating it."

The group's song Umhlab' Uzobuya (The Land Will Return) has caused widespread anger. Its lyrics call for Indians to "go back across the ocean" or face "action".

The song's second verse describes a black man's unhappiness at his ill-treatment at the hands of his employer, referred to as "Naicker".

The song was released on social media and has become increasingly popular since the outcry over it broke.

The ANC has distanced itself from the "reckless, racist music group".

"The toxic song that has been doing the rounds in underground music circles is heavily loaded with hate-speech lyrics that undermine our nation-building project and seek to reverse the gains of our freedom.

"The ANC has worked hard to unite South Africans in pursuit of a non-racial society and continues to engage on social cohesion programmes to strengthen national unity.

"We will not allow the abuse of freedom of expression or tolerate those who sow seeds of divisions."

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