"We appreciate and acknowledge that it is not an appropriate word"
ANC Youth League President Julius Malema was trying to emphasise the need for racial integration when he referred to the Indian community during his address to a crowd of 600 supporters yesterday, the organisation said.
This was particularly relevant because of the proximity of the predominantly Indian suburb of Lenasia to the predominantly African suburb of Thembelihle, and Malema was recommending that children should live together and go to the same schools, ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu said.
"Speaking in vernacular, President Julius Malema said, 'Bana ba lena ba tshwanetš e ba dumelelwe gore ba tsene sekolo le bana ba makula mona' [which media reports translated as 'your children must be allowed to go to school with coolie children'].
"...This was in no way meant to be offensive or derogatory", the ANCYL said.
"The ANC Youth League understands and appreciates that some members of society could have received the message differently, yet the emphasis was about integrated human settlement and co-existence of Indian and African communities."
Nevertheless, Shivambu said the ANCYL undertook to not use the word to refer to South Africans of Indian origin "because we appreciate and acknowledge that it is not an appropriate word".
"The ANC Youth League’s commitment to non-racialism is intact and will never be 'submerged by the utterances'," Shivambu said.
Minority Front leader, Amichand Rajbansi was outraged by Malema’s pronouncements.
“Mr Malema is doing great harm to social cohesion and inter-racial harmony,” Rajbansi told Business Day.
He urged the African National Congress to take steps against Malema.
ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said the ruling party was not aware of the matter. “But certainly we expect ANC leadership to be responsible in any pronouncement... they need not offend other communities,” Khoza told the newspaper.
The Afrikanerbond said Malema’s racial slur demonstrated the intolerance of individuals within the ANC toward minorities.
“The polarisation of South African communities will develop into a hostile climate unless the ANC act drastically and with discipline in their own ranks.”
ANC youth league apologises for Malema over Indian slur
"We appreciate and acknowledge that it is not an appropriate word"
ANC Youth League President Julius Malema was trying to emphasise the need for racial integration when he referred to the Indian community during his address to a crowd of 600 supporters yesterday, the organisation said.
This was particularly relevant because of the proximity of the predominantly Indian suburb of Lenasia to the predominantly African suburb of Thembelihle, and Malema was recommending that children should live together and go to the same schools, ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu said.
"Speaking in vernacular, President Julius Malema said, 'Bana ba lena ba tshwanetš e ba dumelelwe gore ba tsene sekolo le bana ba makula mona' [which media reports translated as 'your children must be allowed to go to school with coolie children'].
"...This was in no way meant to be offensive or derogatory", the ANCYL said.
"The ANC Youth League understands and appreciates that some members of society could have received the message differently, yet the emphasis was about integrated human settlement and co-existence of Indian and African communities."
Nevertheless, Shivambu said the ANCYL undertook to not use the word to refer to South Africans of Indian origin "because we appreciate and acknowledge that it is not an appropriate word".
"The ANC Youth League’s commitment to non-racialism is intact and will never be 'submerged by the utterances'," Shivambu said.
Minority Front leader, Amichand Rajbansi was outraged by Malema’s pronouncements.
“Mr Malema is doing great harm to social cohesion and inter-racial harmony,” Rajbansi told Business Day.
He urged the African National Congress to take steps against Malema.
ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said the ruling party was not aware of the matter. “But certainly we expect ANC leadership to be responsible in any pronouncement... they need not offend other communities,” Khoza told the newspaper.
The Afrikanerbond said Malema’s racial slur demonstrated the intolerance of individuals within the ANC toward minorities.
“The polarisation of South African communities will develop into a hostile climate unless the ANC act drastically and with discipline in their own ranks.”
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