ALIENS NOT WELCOME Backlash over apartheid tweet
‘BEE ELITE’ LUHABE: BETTER WORK ETHIC THAN TODAY
Tim Modise taken to task for his ‘victim mentality’ view.
Prominent businessperson Wendy Luhabe, wife of former Gauteng premier and Congress of the People founder Mbhazima Shilowa, has been slammed for a tweet in which she appears to express her view that conditions under apartheid were more favourable than under democracy.
“I grew up and started my career under apartheid and we had a much better work ethic, we were responsible for our lives, understandably … these attributes have been replaced by a culture of entitlement and dependency since democracy,” she tweeted.
Many found the tweet offensive, with some calling Luhabe a “BEE elite”, who was one of a few who benefitted from the government’s empowerment policies.
Journalist, TV and radio personality Tim Modise was slammed by one Twitter user as similarly being among “BEE beneficiaries” after a tweet he put out was considered by some to be similar to Luhabe’s.
He tweeted: “The victimhood mentality pervading our society has shackled the agency that should come with freedom. The evidence of dependency syndrome and opportunism, incompetence, and corruption are visible. Future generations will pay the price for our irresponsibility.”
A number of Twitter users have compared Luhabe’s views to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille’s tweets on colonialism.
Zille tweeted last year: “For those claiming that the legacy of colonialism was only negative, they should look at various aspects of South Africa’s development, such as the judiciary and other infrastructure.”
Her tweets were met with a backlash leading to disciplinary action from her own party, the Democratic Alliance, and isolation from participating in party matters. –