War of words in KZN GPU over ‘go back to Bombay’ racial slur

KwaZulu-Natal government of provincial unity partners the DA and ANC are again embroiled in a war of words over racist comments made by an unidentified eThekwini council member during a meeting last month.

During a council meeting on November 6, a councillor shouted that DA councillor and eThekwini executive committee member Yogis Govender should “go back to Bombay”. 

ActionSA caucus leader Zwakele Mncwango claimed the comment had come from the ANC benches, though he said he could not identify the perpetrator.

ANC councillor Nkosenhle Madlala has since distanced the party from the incident and vowed if the perpetrator was from the party the ANC “would be the first to bring them forward”.

An investigation by speaker Thabani Nyawose and his office has also failed to identify the guilty party from audio and live stream recordings. Nyawose appealed to any councillor who knew who the perpetrator was to come forward.

On Monday, DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers led a protest march over the incident to Durban City Hall to call for “nonracialism and unity in communities”..

In addition to the investigation by the speaker’s office, Rodgers said they have reported the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate.

Despite Madlala’s remarks, Rodgers remains convinced the guilty party is an ANC councillor and that the party and Nyawose’s office is protecting the person.

“There is absolutely no outcome to that investigation and it seems as though the ANC are covering up a racist comrade,” he said.

“I think the speaker is protecting the perpetrator. This is the way the ANC operates. I’ve seen it before the last election results. If there is a rotten apple in the basket, they leave it there. They don’t expose the rotten apple.”

Rodgers said Govender was upset about the racial slur, adding such remarks had no place in a democratic South Africa.

“If I was insulted and was told to go back to Europe or wherever, I would take it personally. Those things are not said in jest. It’s said with venom and hatred,” he said.

“We come from such a troubled past. I lived through that era of racism. I experienced the horrid impact it had on our society and we cannot accept it. She is upset about the comment made.”

He said the councillor who made the remark should have immediately taken responsibility and apologised.

Rodgers confirmed they would file a motion of no confidence against Nyawose during the first sitting in 2025. He said they would also consider taking legal action if the matter was not resolved.

He urged the ANC to expose the guilty councillor and deal with the person if they want people to believe they are not a “racist organisation”.

eThekwini regional spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said the DA should name and shame the councillor if they have any evidence.

“This thing of accusing a group and expecting it to give you a sacrificial lamb on the basis that you are going to make blackmailing remarks that you are protecting a rotten apple, who is that rotten apple?” he said.

“The DA has no iota of evidence. They are relying on a statement made by Mncwango. You know the DA, if they have evidence they are quite clear, they pinpoint it. In this instance they have nothing.”

Mkhize alleged Mncwango had previously misled the provincial legislature while a member.

He claimed the DA had “double standards” when it came to dealing with racism considering that its councillor Fatima Ismail of the city’s ward 71 had allegedly made racist remarks, but the party had not said what they were doing about it.

The ANC in eThekwini said in a November 19 statement Ismail could be heard in a voice recording saying black people would not be employed for an upcoming water pipe project in Chatsworth (ward 71) and “the only people who are going to get the job are Indian people”.

“ActionSA finds this trend of racist remarks by public representatives in eThekwini deeply concerning. Racism, whether it originates from the ANC or the DA, is unacceptable and must be dealt with decisively,” Mncwango said.

“A party unwilling to act against racism within its own ranks cannot claim the moral high ground on this issue.”

ActionSA has written to Nyawose’s office to investigate the matter involving Ismail.

Rodgers responded: “They say people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I believe Mncwango said he knew who the person who uttered the words was and went to the media to repeat the same, but then he suddenly said he had been misquoted and he didn’t know who it was. If there’s any grandstanding, it’s from ActionSA.”

On the matter of Ismail, Rodgers said: “The DA doesn’t tolerate racism. The councillor in question has been suspended and there is an investigation. That’s how we deal with racists, unlike the ANC that keeps them in the fold.”

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