Mabuza defends Ramaphosa against ‘racism’ accusations

Deputy President David Mabuza has urged South Africans to unite and do away with fuelling racial tensions amongst each other.

Mabuza answered a series of questions that were posed to him by MPs at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday afternoon, 26 August 2021.

He even defended President Cyril Ramaphosa after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Andrew Arnolds implied he was supporting other racial groups and not black people, particularly in the wake of the Phoenix violence which broke out during the July riots.

“Have you had a conversation with him about the dangers of trying to please minority groups at the expense of African people,” Arnolds asked Mabuza.

Mabuza: The president doesn’t support racism

In response, David Mabuza said Ramaphosa would never support racism, citing among other things, his contribution towards the drafting of the country’s constitution.

“We know the President and all of you know him. I don’t believe the President can stand up and support racial tensions, support one group over another group. That is not the President I know. That is not the President who fought for this freedom that we are enjoying today. Part of his task, during the period of the Struggle, was to facilitate unity and reconciliation, and he was central in the drafting of this Constitution that is before us, that seeks to unite all of us,” said Mabuza.

The violence in Phoenix is believed to have been sparked by racial tensions between Indian and Black community members in the area. There were graphic images and videos being circulated on social media, showing the extent of the bloodshed.

“Truly speaking, it is not this President that can stand and support racism. He will never do that. We must, however, join hands and stop pointing fingers at each other. Racism should be erased from our vocabulary. We must treat ourselves as a united people, diverse, as we belong to this country. Let us not keep pointing fingers at racial groups because with that action, in itself, we are polarising society,”

Deputy President David Mabuza