‘Zille must apologise for parenting remark’
THE Western Cape ANC Youth League has demanded that Premier Helen Zille apologise for her remark at the launch of the Law Enforcement Stabilisation Unit at the weekend.
“If you are not prepared to be a good parent, don’t make a baby,” Zille said.
The ANCYL provincial leadership said the remark was irresponsible, insulting and attempted to absolve the Western Cape government from its responsibility of tackling the apartheid legacy of inequality.
Zille’s spokesman, Michael Mpofu, said she had referred to the responsibility of all parents to be involved in their children’s lives.
“The premier was speaking at the launch of the Law Enforcement Stabilisation Unit, which has been deployed to Manenberg on Friday, where she was referring to the responsibility of all parents to be involved in their children’s lives.
“In doing so, she repeated a phrase she often uses: ‘If you are not prepared to be a good parent, don’t make a baby’. Of course we understand that children of good, committed parents can also go off the rails.
“But parents have a critical role to partner with government in addressing the crisis of gangs and drugs, and take their responsibility as parents,” Mpofu said.
The ANCYL said many parents were being terrorised by their children, who are members of gangs and addicted to drugs.
They demanded that Zille apologise unconditionally.
When it was put to Mpofu whether Zille would apologise, he said: “I think there’s nothing to apologise for.”
The ANCYL said: “During these challenging times, our parents and youth do not need their self-worth to be undermined by politicians. Instead as leaders, we need to be positive role models who can work together to instil hope in our communities.”
The Stabilisation Unit comprises 90 Expanded Public Works Programme workers who have been trained to police areas where there are high levels of violence.
It has been deployed to gang-ridden suburbs such as Manenberg, Bishop Lavis, Ottery and Hanover Park for daily enforcement in a bid to stop gang flare-ups.