Africa-Press – South-Africa. The ANC in the Western Cape intends to report the Freedom Front Plus’ Peter Marais to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) after he referred to its party members as “foreigners”.
Marais came under fire after the remark, which was made during a house sitting in the Western Cape legislature on Thursday.
“What Peter Marais said in the legislature was deeply racist and insulting. He turned to the Black African members of the ANC and said ‘you are refugees’. In essence, he was saying they have no right to live in this province,” said the ANC’s Cameron Dugmore.
Dugmore said he intended to submit a complaint to the SAHRC, take legal advice on making an application to the Equality Court, and also intended to file a complaint against Marais with the registrar of the legislature for breaching the code of conduct for members.
Dugmore said:
Marais also remarked: “We call for the empowerment of coloured and Khoi emerging farmers in this province, entrepreneurs and indigent households who are on housing waiting lists as these minorities who are neglected and who received very little benefits in terms of the labour equity laws and housing, and having to compete against numerically and superior African blacks whose influx to the Western Cape has changed the demographics of the province.
“Racial tensions are increasingly building up. We call on the Western Cape government to take remedial action to prevent racial tension escalating and flaring up because of a fight for scarce resources by the influx.”
Chaos ensued after ANC members took issue with Marais’ remarks – which, in turn, prompted Marais to call them “foreigners”.
ANC members walked out of the legislature. Marais refused to withdraw the remarks he made.
The house was suspended for a few minutes for the Speaker, Daylin Mitchell, to make a ruling.
Mitchell said the transcription for the proceedings was not available, and he was unable to make a ruling on the matter.
Marais said on Friday evening that he refused to apologise for his remarks.
“The ANC must do what they want to do. I can’t tell them what to do. The ANC should have been taken to the SAHRC after calling all white people settlers. If they want to go to the SAHRC, they can do that; I have the right to have my say,” he said.
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