Deputy forestry, fisheries and the environment minister Bernice Swartz has unconditionally apologised after public outrage about a controversial bread distribution campaign that went viral on social media.
Swartz said she regretted the pain caused by a video showing volunteers distributing bread to community members while chanting “one loaf, one family”.
“I write this letter with deep humility in my heart and with the hope that it will provide clarity on an incident that has rightfully caused outrage among millions of South Africans. As a starting point, I tender an unconditional apology for the legitimate pain the video caused,” she said.
The backlash followed footage circulating online in which Swartz is seen standing in front of crates filled with loaves of bread intended for poor households.
Volunteers wearing party regalia were filmed handing out the bread to community members while saying: “One loaf, one family. From the ANC. In the ANC there is life, so one loaf means a lot. We thank mama Bernice Swartz.”
Swartz acknowledged that the incident was particularly painful in a country grappling with high levels of poverty.
“I recognise we live in a country where millions of people live below the poverty line and where poverty continues to disproportionately affect black African and coloured populations,” she said.
“As an elected official, I have a constitutional duty and a moral obligation to not only serve the people of South Africa but also to do so while protecting their human dignity. I apologise unequivocally for being linked to a video in which this dignity was not protected.”
She said the bread distribution was part of a broader food drive organised through the Benny Swartz Foundation and not a political campaign.
“I am deeply committed to the work of the foundation because I understand the difficult conditions under which millions of people in Gauteng, and South Africa broadly, live. The persistent challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment are tearing our country asunder.
“While these issues are systemic and require systematic intervention, households are in urgent need of interventions that address immediate practical needs. It is for this reason that I made the determination that a significant portion of the 10,000 loaves of bread that the foundation has secured through a public-private partnership should be given to a soup kitchen already working directly with communities.
“The work the foundation does, and specifically, the bread distribution campaign, is not an initiative of the ANC. The assertions that this was a campaign by the ANC have no basis in fact. The ANC did not sanction the initiative and had no knowledge of it precisely because it was not intended to be partisan in any way.”
She also said poverty affected all South Africans and assistance should never be tied to political allegiance.
“It was, and will continue to remain, a non-partisan initiative that benefits all members of the community regardless of political affiliation.”
The ANC also distanced itself from the incident. Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the organisation had noted with concern the use of its name and branding in the videos.
“The ANC states categorically that the distribution reflected in these images is not an ANC campaign and was not authorised by any structure of the organisation. The organisation therefore distances itself from these actions and emphasises that the activity was not undertaken under the mandate or authority of the ANC.”
Bhengu acknowledged that many ANC members carried out charitable work in their communities but said such initiatives should not be presented as official party programmes.
“They play an important social responsibility role in their communities by assisting vulnerable households and supporting local initiatives. Such acts of solidarity reflect the values of ubuntu and service to the people that define the movement.”
The use of the party’s name and branding without authorisation was unacceptable.
She said the party has taken internal steps to address the matter and reprimand the deputy minister, together with those who participated in the activity under the ANC banner without authorisation.
Swartz reiterated that she rejected the use of food parcels as a political tool.
“There is no question that the statements made in the viral video are unacceptable. While I did not sanction such a posture, I take full responsibility for the association of my name with the erosion of people’s dignity.
“I want to use this opportunity to state, without any equivocation, that I have never viewed the people of South Africa as mere voting fodder and I reject the use of food parcels as a campaign tool,” she said.
“I apologise deeply to community members who endured the indignity that is captured in the viral video; to the people of South Africa who rightfully feel let down; and to the ANC that has been involved in a matter for which it bears no responsibility.”
TimesLIVE
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