Knysna ward councillor has a monkey on her back
‘The councillor’s comments have been misconstrued,’ says DA Constituency Head Dion George.
KNYSNA - DA Ward 9 Councillor Sharon Sabbagh is facing a barrage of criticism over remarks she made during a special finance and governance committee meeting on Tuesday 26 March saying it was a “yappa yappa monkey circus”.
Now the ANC, EFF and Patriotic Alliance have called for Sabbagh to be sanctioned for breaching the councillors’ code of conduct - and she may even be slapped with charges of crimen injuria.
The parties say it’s irrelevant whether Sabbagh directly called councillors monkeys, and insist that her words amount to racism.
The incident happened during an acrimonious debate about the lease and beautification of municipal land near the Knysna Waterfront, during which Sabbagh was not afforded the opportunity to speak uninterrupted.
Now Sabbagh has a monkey of her own on her back as she has been reported to the SA Human Rights Commission, and the EFF, ANC and PA are considering laying charges of crimen injuria.
Following Sabbagh’s comment, EFF councillor Neil Louw said in the meeting that Sabbagh was actually saying that all the black people in the DA are monkeys.
“No, we are not monkeys here,” said Louw.
Comments misconstrued
Following the accusations of racism,
Sabbagh repeatedly denied being racist or calling anyone a monkey.
In a move to take the heat off Sabbagh, DA Knysna constituency head Dion George stepped in on her behalf saying her comments were “misconstrued”.
“The councillor's comments have been misconstrued and shamefully used to deflect voters’ attention from the destruction the ANC/PA/EFF coalition caused in Knysna as a result of their absolute failure to deliver services to residents, especially to lower income households.
“The ANC/PA/EFF Coalition of Corruption has completely destroyed Knysna. From a water crisis, with large parts of the town either without water or undrinkable water flowing from taps; to a waste management crisis, with a growing pile of refuse at the waste removal site in the centre of town; to raw sewage spills into the lagoon; to a serious financial crisis, this coalition of corruption has completely collapsed service delivery in Knysna, a town that was once the jewel of the Garden Route, and an international tourism destination,” said George.
Should know better
Mark Willemse of the Knysna Independent Movement (Kim) said he believed Sabbagh had brought the DA into disrepute.
“I am very disturbed by the arrogance of Cllr Sabbagh and her demeaning comments.
“We all have to deal with the frustration of being in opposition in council, but the clear lack of respect for fellow councillors is despicable,” said Willemse.
Moyisi Magalela, the ANC regional spokesperson said, as a councillor who took an oath, she should never compare her fellow colleagues with monkeys, “nor see a council meeting as a monkey circus - and that councillors were yappa yapping, even if she doesn't agree with them. We therefore find her remarks inappropriate.”
Magalela said, “I think Cllr Sabbagh should know better considering the Penny Sparrow case, and that [to us], coming from a very ugly past, such remarks remain tasteless and racist. Those councillors are her colleagues despite their party representation, colour or creed.
“We have instructed our councillors to lay a complaint with the Speaker and that Sabbagh should be subjected to disciplinary processes for a breach of her code of conduct,” said Magalela.
She said they are considering laying criminal charges.
Response also bad
PA councillor Beauty Charlie specifically referred to Sabbagh’s initial response to accusations that she inferred that her cocouncillors were monkeys: “If they feel offended, it is because they probably are one. Who knows...”.
Charlie said it was uncalled for. She found Sabbagh’s comments inappropriate for a councillor to make.
The PA has written to the Speaker to complain and has lodged a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission.
Louw of the EFF had also complained to the Speaker about Sabbagh, in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.
He also referred to Sabbagh’s response and commented on the power of racism.
Power of racism
Louw said each of the ways of thinking about the relationship between humans and monkeys reinforced the connection made by Europeans between Africans and apes. “And by making it seem as if people of a non-European origin were more like apes than humans, these different theories were used to justify plantation slavery in the Americas and colonialism through the rest of the world,” he said.
“Monkey has long been used as a racial slur against black people. In the late 18th century, we find evidence of white people using monkey to denigrate black people, among other groups of people.
“Even before Darwin published On the Origin of Species in the mid-1800s, some white people tried to formally classify black people as just above primates on the evolutionary chain and used simian-based insults to justify heinous oppression.
“Porch monkey, as Green’s Dictionary of Slang finds, is recorded by the 1980s. The slur characterises black people as lazy, having nothing better to do than hang around on their porches all day.
“Some think ‘porch monkey’ also alludes to the perceived living conditions of certain black people - stereotyping them as residing in low-income housing that lacks airconditioning and forces them outside to stay cool,” said Louw.
He said the EFF was in the process of consulting with its lawyers to consider laying a charge of crimen injuria and had reported Sabbagh to the SA Human Rights Commission.
Sabbagh did not react to a WhatsApp message from requesting comment.