- President Cyril Ramaphosa honored the Nakedi brothers who were victims of a racist attack on Christmas Day, calling them his special guests.
- He told the brothers not to fear the whites as they no longer have power over the blacks as apartheid was done.
- Ramaphosa criticized racism in South Africa and vowed that those who perpetuate it would face the power of the law.
ANC Chairman Cyril Ramaphosa used the opening of his January 8 speech to speak harshly on racism, calling the incident in which two teenagers were the victims of a racist attack in the Free State “disgraceful”.
Shortly after beginning his speech at the Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium in Mangaung, where the ANC held its 111th anniversary celebrations, Ramaphosa said young people must “resist racism.”
He said this when he called the Nakedi brothers, whom he referred to as his “special guests”, to come up on stage. The two teenagers were victims of a racist attack on Christmas Day.
“We thank you because you are still alive. I saw one of them hit one of the men with his fist. We thank the young people and tell them that what happened to them should not discourage them. They must be strong like the young.
“The message I want to give them is that the spirit of our ancestors who fought against the apartheid system should fill them with courage as it fills all of us,” added Ramaphosa.
The teenagers were attacked in a swimming pool at the Maselspoort resort in Bloemfontein by three white men.
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In a video, which has gone viral on social media, a white man is seen slapping a 13-year-old boy, who is then thrown back into the pool when he tries to get up.
The man then appears to try to strangle the 18-year-old. Attempts to break up the confrontation failed, and the situation escalated when another man pulled the younger teen’s hair.
In his speech, Ramaphosa said that what the children suffered were “cruel acts of racism and humiliation” at the hands of “old white men.”
added:
It was such a shameful act to see old white men try to strangle these young men and drown them in an underwater pool, the most shameful act that can be perpetrated against young people like these. And that’s why they are my guests.
“Ke ya leboha bashimane le dule le tiile, le seke la tshaba makgoa [Thank you, young men, stay strong and do not fear white people]. Don’t be afraid of the white people, their time has passed and they no longer have power, their apartheid is gone. Stay strong young men,” Ramaphosa said.
He also took the opportunity to thank the parents of the children who, he said, resisted racist acts and practices.
“To those in our country who still want to perpetuate racism, we say…today we don’t want racists here in South Africa. If you want to practice your racist tendencies, South Africa is not the place to come and do that.
“If you practice racism, we will make sure you feel the power of the law because the people of South Africa will never again allow racism to reign in our country again, as Nelson Mandela, the father of our democracy, said,” Ramaphosa said. to the applause of the crowd.
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As the ANC concludes its 55the national conference on Thursday, part of their resolution is to clamp down on racism.
Reporting on the resolution of the party’s strategy and tactics, national executive committee member David Makhura said it was clear to the ANC party that it had to act decisively on “right-wing” extremist groups and incidents.
“We are heading to a dangerous place that is unacceptable. We must sharpen our response while the ANC is in charge.
“We cannot tolerate racism. We do not discuss specific instruments, such as what legislation will be used. We said, at the state level, that we need to tune our instruments.
“The South African government must abide by our Constitution. I know that in dealing with racism, there may be specific proposals from other commissions on what should be done,” Makhura said this week.
Meanwhile, the three men who attacked the Nakedi brothers – Kobus Klassen, 48, Johan Nel, 33, and Jan van der Westhuizen, 47 – will appear in court again later this month.
Nel and Van der Westhuizen face charges of assault and battery, while Klassen faces a charge of attempted murder.
