ANC accused of Islamophobia during heated KZN legislature debate

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is facing allegations of islamophobia after one of its MPLs allegedly insulted a Muslim opposition member's religious clothing.

ANC MPL and agriculture committee chairperson Nomagugu Simelani-Zulu allegedly lashed out at DA member Imran Keeka during a meeting on Friday‚ asking him: “What kind of a man wears a dress?”

Keeka was in traditional Muslim attire at the time‚ but had left the legislature sitting.

The allegation was made by the DA in a media statement the evening after the confrontation‚ which came during a debate on the legacy of Oliver Reginald Tambo.

However‚ on Saturday morning Simelane-Zulu angrily dismissed the claims‚ saying they completely misrepresented what she said. She also threatened legal action against the DA for defamation.

The DA said it had tried in vain‚ via its deputy chief whip Hlanganani Gumbi‚ to get a ruling from deputy speaker Meshack Hadebe denouncing Simelane-Zulu's statement - but that their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

DA legislature spokeswoman Mbali Ntuli said Friday’s sitting of the legislature had been held to mark the legacy of Oliver Tambo. However‚ the proceedings degenerated into chaos‚ she said.

“The sitting was marred by ANC members‚ including the Premier [Willies Mchunu]‚ who swore at members of the DA‚ threatened physical violence and insulted the DA’s Dr Imran Keeka who was wearing traditional Muslim attire by asking him ‘what kind of man wears a dress?’‚” said Ntuli.

“The comment by Simelane-Zulu is an insult to both Dr Keeka and the entire Muslim community. It is also‚ by extension‚ a slap in the face to all men who wear religious attire‚ regardless of their faith‚ and indicative of religious intolerance of the highest order and has no place in our democratic and free society."

Ntuli said the party will write to Speaker Lydia Johnson‚ who is overseas‚ and that they will insist Simelane-Zulu is instructed to apologise for her “deeply offensive remark” to Keeka and the Muslim community.

But Simelane-Zulu came out guns blazing‚ saying she was consulting her lawyers as Ntuli was pitting her against the Muslim community. She said it was Ntuli who had started the trouble by saying all the ANC women in the legislature had slept their way to their positions‚ and that Ntuli had said OR Tambo had never spoken out against women abuse in the ANC.

“I said‚ in fact‚ that it was through the role of OR Tambo that culminated into their freedom. I said Keeka would not be wearing that ‘rokwe’ (dress) today because religions were suppressed under apartheid.

“They totally misrepresented what I said and I’m taking them to task for that. They have also lost their parliamentary privilege because they never objected inside the house‚” she said.

Simelane-Zulu said there were no objections from the DA when she spoke and that the alleged remarks were made when both Ntuli and Keeka were outside.

“The rules state that you object immediately and that never happened‚” she said.