Afriforum wants religious dialogue with ANC

Civil rights group Afriforum says it plans to approach the ANC and initiate a dialogue to discuss "continued offensive utterances" about Afrikaners and Christianity.

"We continuously hear offensive statements from senior ANC members... and then they apologise and think it is okay," said Afriforum's deputy chief executive Ernst Roets.

"We want an undertaking that they will stop making these statements as this is not acceptable."

Once a dialogue began, the first issue on the table would be the matter relating to Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana, who made remarks about Afrikaner men and their "Calvinistic religion."

Roets said her apology was not satisfactory.

"Xingwana's utterances should be seen in the broader ANC context," he said.

"Her remark is, as a matter of fact, just one offensive utterance in a series of utterances made recently by senior ANC leaders against Afrikaners and even Christians."

Roets said dialogue would form part a settlement agreement reached between Afriforum and the African National Congress last year relating to the "Shoot the Boer" hate-speech case.

The out of court agreement on the singing of the song was made a court order in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in November last year.

Part of the settlement was that there would be continued formal dialogue in order to promote mutual understanding for respective cultural heritage and aspirations.

The struggle song containing the words "Dubul' iBhunu" (shoot the boer) was declared hate speech by Judge Colin Lamont in the Johannesburg High Court.

AfriForum took the matter to court after Julius Malema who was ANC Youth League leader at the time repeatedly sang the song at rallies.