ANC of Jacob Zuma has abandoned Nelson Mandela’s vision of a non-racial country, says DA’s Maimane

DA LEADER Mmusi Maimane unleashed a scathing attack on the ruling party, saying South Africa was entangled in racial tensions because the “ANC of President Jacob Zuma” has abandoned Nelson Mandela’s vision of a non-racial country.

The DA faced a barrage of attacks after Penny Sparrow, a member, likened black people to “monkeys” on her Facebook post.

But Maimane believes the ANC is to blame for racial tensions. “The project of nonracism has been leaderless because the ANC has failed to lead it. Our country has lost track of reconciliation because Zuma doesn’t know what to do,” he said.

Maimane said Mandela had dealt with the thorny issue of social intolerance successfully. However, he said racial tension had been rekindled when Man- dela left the presidency and ceased playing a role in the ANC.

Zuma was a confused leader who had failed to forge relations between different races, he said. “I’m the only one who is standing up publicly as a leader and saying we condemn these actions and we will take action against people who are racist in the DA.”

Sparrow’s comment comes three months after DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard, who also stirred racial tension on social media, was let off the hook.

Regardless of the controversies that beset the party, Maimane was adamant the DA would do well in the local government elections. “South Africans know that our party stands for non-racism.”

The DA is the only party that can achieve Mandela’s dream, Maimane claimed.

He rejected the claims levelled against his party by the ANC – that it was a party of racists.

Maimane said the DA was the only party prepared to deal with racism while other parties wanted to leave it.

He said South Africans should collectively fight the cancer that was racism, unless they also believed that Mandela was a sell-out.

ANC spokesman, Zizi Kodwa hit back, saying Maimane had been hired to defend racism in the DA. “They wanted to use a black person to defend racism. We give him A on our score card for defending racism. He is doing a great job.”

Kodwa said Maimane hated black people, that was why he was attacking the ANC instead of dealing with the real issue of racism in the DA. “The signs are there that the DA is a nest of racism, and Maimane.”

Attempts to reach Sparrow for comment were unsuccessful.

The ANC Youth League is organising an anti-racism march tomorrowin Park Rynie and Scottburgh where Sparrow lives. The Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, is expected to attend.