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Ringo Madlingozi weighs in on human rights: ‘Sleep doesn’t come easy, times must change’

Ringo Madlingozi reflects on Human Rights Day.
Ringo Madlingozi reflects on Human Rights Day.
Image: Instagram/ Ringo Madlingozi

As SA celebrated Human Rights Day over the weekend, musician Ringo Madlingozi reflected on the Sharpeville massacre, saying times must change.

The singer turned EFF politician took to Instagram to share how the day caused him a lack of sleep.  

“On 21 March 1960, 69 people were mowed down by the apartheid police and we call his Human Rights Day? I don’t understand,” said Ringo.

He said a certain piece of the national anthem should be removed because it was sung when black people were being murdered by police.

“To me, this celebration sounds like a piece of a song sung when our people were brutally murdered. The piece of the song is embedded in our national anthem. It should go. It is  not supposed to be there,” he said.

Ringo said he was disappointed by the fact people are still dying at the hands of the police, making reference to Mthokozisi Ntumba's death.

The 35-year-old was allegedly shot dead by police during a fees protest by students outside Wits University earlier this month.

He was a bystander who was killed while leaving a nearby clinic in Braamfontein.

Ntumba had just completed his masters’ degree and worked as a human settlements planner at the City of Tshwane.

“Ntumba died at the hands of the police and even worse he was killed by black police officers,” said Ringo.

“The most frustrating part is people keep voting for the same people over and over again. Vukani bantu! (Wake up people).”

Ringo's political party leader Julius Malema called for Human Rights Day to be changed to Sharpeville Day.

“We must call it by its rightful name. It's Sharpeville Day. They call it Human Rights Day so they distort the history of SA, so you don't know what this day is about.

“This is a day when black people were killed by white people because black people were fighting for the rights of black people.

“Human Rights Day for who, for what, where?" asked Malema