Call to let Hart explain his tweet
WHILE many have branded Chris Hart a racist after a tweet that led to his credentials being questioned, one man has come to his defence.
Dr Bheki Shongwe, who is from an organisation called Citizens in Partnership with Government (CPG), said while it was understandable that the tweets sent by Hart may be perceived to have racial undertones, they did not represent the Hart he knew.
On January 3, Hart, Standard Bank’s economist, tweeted that “More than 25 years after apartheid ended, the victims are increasing along with a sense of entitlement and hatred towards minorities.”
Immediately afterwards, Hart apologised, saying: “This tweet has caused offence – never intended for which I apologise wholeheartedly. Meant to be read in context of slow growth.”
But his apology came a little bit too late as Standard Bank suspended him over that tweet.
Shongwe said the tweet had happened at the time that Penny Sparrow called black people “monkeys”, causing an uproar.
When Hart sent his tweet, it was caught up with Sparrow’s, and Standard Bank took a harsh stance, he said.
Shongwe said further that because of South Africa’s past and the challenges that the country faces, many South Africans were overly sensitive about any topic involving race, and that could be why people misinterpreted Hart’s tweets as racist, when that was not the intention.
“The tweet itself needed clarification and explanation. What happened with regard to Sparrow calling black people ‘monkeys’ was far worse.
“It’s unfortunate in terms of how Hart phrased that tweet. It got caught up in the monkey thing and Standard Bank then blew things out of proportion,” he said.
Hart is also chairman of the CPG National Business Council, which aims to play a positive and constructive role in building a country that every South African can be proud of.
Shongwe said Hart had joined them after stating that he needed to make a difference.
Shongwe added that since that tweet, people appeared to know only one side of Hart, who had been hammered in the media for being racist but not the good work he had been doing at CPG.
“I have the rare honour and privilege of working with a number of well-meaning South Africans who want to make a difference in our country, and that includes Chris Hart. He describes apartheid as a national scar for the country that we can overcome by prioritising economic policies that will create jobs in the country.
“He is of the view that a strong economy will diminish most of the country’s problems,” Shongwe said.
Within their organisation they had a structure called the CPG National Dialogue Forum, where issues of national important were discussed, he noted.
“Through this structure we have informed media organisations that Hart is ready to be interviewed to explain his tweet,” Shongwe said.