eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has hit back at allegations that his remarks were racist during a heated altercation at a park in Durban, where thousands of migrants have been awaiting repatriation.
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eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has hit back at allegations that his remarks were racist during a heated altercation at a park in Durban, where thousands of migrants have been awaiting repatriation.
This follows a social media post and statement by uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Visvin Reddy, who criticised Xaba for shutting down a man at the park who attempted to speak to him.
Xaba responded to the man by saying: "I am not speaking to you. I am speaking to the Africans.
"However, Xaba's spokesperson, Mlu Mtungwa, has rejected Reddy's criticism.
"The person was not South African. He was a foreign national who kept interjecting while the mayor was speaking. He was very disruptive and would not allow the mayor to speak. The mayor represents all South Africans in eThekwini and does not differentiate between South Africans based on race, colour or faith. As South Africans, we are one and should not allow others to divide us," Mtungwa told IOL.
But Reddy insists the man is South African.
"I've spoken to him myself. He is 100% South African. What we witnessed from Mayor Xaba is a blatant attempt to use identity politics to escape accountability. To tell a citizen that they have no right to speak because they are not 'African' is disgusting. It flouts the very foundation of our non-racial democracy. I am calling on the leadership of the ANC to immediately bring this mayor to order and demand a full, unconditional public apology," Reddy told IOL.
Efforts are being stepped up to transport the mainly Malawian migrants from Sherwood Park in Durban back to Malawi.
The situation remains volatile, with tensions reaching breaking point with sporadic clashes with police.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers has stepped in to provide water and other basic necessities to those preparing to depart.Around 7,000 migrants have camped at the park, demanding to be repatriated.
Of those processed on site, 1,876 were found to be undocumented or in violation of South Africa's immigration laws.
IOL News