South Africa has rejected apartheid with its norms of racial exclusivity and embraced a new constitutional democracy that promotes freedom, equality and human dignity.

South Africa has rejected apartheid with its norms of racial exclusivity and embraced a new constitutional democracy that promotes freedom, equality and human dignity.

This is the fundamental message of the historic finding by the Human Rights Commission against the Forum for Black Journalists' racial exclusivity.

We hail the commission for its bold decision on this sensitive and emotive matter.

The HRC is used to taking up the cudgels on behalf of blacks who are usually the victims of white racists who view them as inferior.

It is not often that the commission, or our courts, is confronted with a situation in which a white falls victim to discrimination by blacks.

It is significant to mention that blacks, by the way, are the ruling majority.

The commission's unequivocal stance that "the FBJ's blanket exclusion of white journalists from membership is not justified" will, of course, be met with opposition.

Chief among its opponents will be the pedants who argue that blacks cannot be racist because they are not motivated by a desire to oppress whites.

This narrow definition of racism is replete with problems. It would lead to the absurd situation in which racist acts by blacks would not be punished as such.

The FBJ would do well to heed the HRC ruling and respect the supreme law of the land.