EThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba was said to be cautioned by his party, the ANC for his anti-indian remarks
Image: Siyabulela Duda / GCIS
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has “reprimanded” eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba for his recent un-African remarks about South Africans of Indian descent.
On Monday, the ANC leadership facilitated a meeting between Xaba and human rights activist, Yeshelen Govender, where both men regretted the incident and resolved the issue amicably, according to a statement on Tuesday morning.
However, a senior leader in the eThekwini regional task team, a political structure to which Xaba accounts, said the mayor was wrong and had to be reprimanded by the ANC.
The leader said the party understood that his outburst was necessitated by Govender's irritating interruption while he was addressing the sensitive matter of illegal immigrants; however, the mayor, as a leader of society, had no right to utter such words.
“We understand that, as human beings, being interrupted while talking is annoying and irritating; however, as leaders, we have a responsibility to use our emotional intelligence and diplomacy when dealing with the public. It is on this score that we found our mayor wrong for reacting in the manner he did and using such sensitive and offensive words against Govender.”
Last week, the mayor was filmed having a verbal altercation with Govender, who persistently interrupted the mayor, wanting to make his point during Xaba's visit to the Sherwood sports field, where more than 5,000 Malawian nationals were waiting to be repatriated.
In the video clip that went viral, Xaba is heard saying: “I am not talking to you, I am talking to the Africans”, before instructing law enforcement to physically remove Govender from the gathering.
The comments sparked a sharp reaction from Indian community leaders, who called for an apology and a retraction.
Writing in his own personal capacity, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party Member of Parliament, Visvin Reddy, called the mayor's comments divisive rhetoric and racially exclusionary conduct.
He also filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.
Reddy said Govender is a South African of Indian descent and, therefore, it is incorrect to tell him he is not an African. He described the mayor's comment as dangerous, historically illiterate, and a direct threat to social cohesion in KwaZulu-Natal.
“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,” said Reddy.
He further stated that the stark political reality in eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal was that no political party can secure an outright majority without the Indian vote.
“Stoking Indo-African tensions in a province with a sensitive social history by the city's first citizen threw fuel into community divisions,” said Reddy.
He described Govender as a community and humanitarian activist involved in social justice, human rights, and solidarity causes. He is also the son of Maggie Govender, a senior ANC member and former MEC in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
However, Xaba defended his action in the statement issued by his office, saying that he was quoted out of context.
“The mayor emphasises that eThekwini is a law-abiding and welcoming municipality, but it will not hesitate to act firmly against any individuals, regardless of nationality, who choose to disrupt public order or show contempt for the institutions and laws of the Republic of South Africa. The mayor remains committed to engaging all communities constructively and urges the public to refrain from sharing out-of-context clips that may inflame tensions.”
However, through the ANC’s intervention, Xaba swallowed his pride and regretted the incident. In a statement, the party did not defend Xaba and rather called the incident an unfortunate exchange of words between the mayor and Govender.
“The ANC is satisfied that, while regrettable, this unfortunate incident does not diminish Xaba’s standing as a unifying figure for all people of eThekwini and the sterling work he is currently doing,” read the statement.