Race oath for DA
NEW and returning members of the DA would now be required to take an oath denouncing racism in all its various shapes and forms. Those found to be in violation of the oath would have their party membership revoked immediately.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane made this bold declaration yesterday as the party tries to change public perceptions about itself.
He was delivering an address on nation-building at the Apartheid Museum in Joburg.
“It was time the official opposition drew a line in the sand against racism,” he said, adding that he was angry about the acts of people who are racist.
The official opposition party recently found itself in a race storm after its member Penny Sparrow, who has since been expelled, tweeted that black beach-goers in KwaZulu-Natal were “monkeys”.
Another member, Dianne Kohler Barnard, MP, returned to the DA fold last month after winning an appeal against her expulsion for sharing a Facebook post praising apartheid leader PW Botha.
To loud applause, Maimane said: “If you think of voting for the DA and you are racist, don’t vote for us. We are not a party for you. I will not tolerate racism in the party.”
In the coming weeks, he said, he would initiate a series of dialogues on race titled “Stand Up, Speak Out”, involving South Africans from all walks of life.
The self-styled Obama of Soweto constantly referred to himself as black during the speech.
This was in contrast to the DA’s Joburg mayoral candidate, Herman Mashaba, who reportedly said he was “intrigued” that in South Africa today he was still regarded as a black person.
“Racial injustice is real and we need to address it. We can’t wish it away by pretending we’re colour blind,” Maimane said.
Mashaba, who was unveiled as the party’s candidate at the weekend for the upcoming municipal elections, said he opposed policies such as black economic empowerment.
However, Maimane said such policies were needed to benefit poor black South Africans, and not the elite or politically connected individuals.
Political analyst Professor Steven Friedman said the speech was proof that Maimane recognised that racism “is a problem for the DA for obvious reasons”.
“He takes the race war very seriously, but the question is: Can he convince sceptical people that he is serious about it?” Friedman added.