Cape Town: Thursday’s sitting of the Western Cape Legislature descended into chaos over accusations of racism.
This comes after the Freedom Front Plus’ Peter Marais said African people’s influx in the Western Cape was taking its toll on the province’s resources.
“We call for the empowerment of the coloured and Khoi emerging farmers in this province, entrepreneurs and Indian households who are on housing waiting lists as these minorities are neglected and receive very little benefits in terms of the labour equity law and housing,” he said.
“Having to compete against numerically superior African blacks, whose influx into the Western Cape has changed the demographics of this province. Racial tensions are increasingly building up.
“We call on the Western Cape Government to take remedial action to prevent racial tensions escalating and flaring up because of a fight for scarce resources by the influx,” he said, adding that “the racists are the ANC at national level”.
ANC chief whip Pat Lekker, during the sitting, said Marais’ utterances were uncalled for.
“I rise at this moment feeling worn out and at pains with what is happening in the house, (particularly) when we are being called foreigners in our own country,” said Lekker.
“I really do not take it in kind whatever the altercation was to refer to black people as foreigners,” she said.
Her deputy, Khalid Sayed, said he too was deeply perturbed by Marais’ remarks.
“This is the same Peter Marais who is the DA’s bedfellow in moving for Western Cape cession from the rest of South Africa to turn the Western Cape in an Orania … we are not going to allow for this racism to persist,” he said.
Marais told Weekend Argus that he stood by his comment in the house.
“I stand by it, no matter what happens I stand by what I said,” he said.
“The Africans comes from the far north and it’s a fact that there is (an) influx, I don’t care what the ANC have to say, this is the truth and nothing but the truth,” said Marais.
Leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Dr Pieter Groenewald, told Weekend Argus that he would engage Marais to ascertain the facts around what transpired during the sitting.
“I will contact Peter Marais to hear his side of the story,” said Groenewald.
Speaker Daylin Mitchell said he would listen to the proceedings again and rule on the matter next week.
Weekend Argus