MK to return to Kleinfontein after recent ‘fact-finding’ visit

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party will return to Kleinfontein for a follow-up dialogue after an oversight visit with koeksisters and coffee on Monday, the party says.

Kleinfontein community chief executive officer Stefan Wiese said although a delegation from MK visited Kleinfontein with no formal notice, the conversation was in a good spirit and both parties agreed to respect each other’s viewpoints, despite ideological differences.

Kleinfontein, near Rayton, east of Pretoria, has about 1 500 residents and about 650 houses. Started in the 1990s as an Afrikaner enclave, the development is controlled by Kleinfontein Aandeleblok, a share block company.

“The MK delegation was addressed by members of Kleinfontein management, and Article 235 featured prominently as a discussion point. Kleinfontein’s independence from Tshwane, and the fact that Kleinfontein receives no services from Tshwane, were also discussed,” said Wiese.

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‘Fact-finding mission’

On Monday MK chief whip Mzwanele Manyi and party member Abel Tau, who was former DA chair in Tshwane, visited Kleinfontein as part of the MK’s campaign to draw attention to the abuse of Section 235 of the constitution, which provides for cultural self-determination.

Tau said they would return for more koeksisters and to continue the dialogue they started during the oversight visit to the illegal settlement.

“We went there on a fact-finding mission and more than anything to try and understand where people of Kleinfontein are coming from.”

Section 235

Tau said they were of the view that Section 235 was being abused and that MK would be tabling a private Bill in parliament to clarify and create boundaries because it is currently too vague and creates space for a separate state.

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“MK will, within the week, be submitting a Private Member’s Bill in parliament to amend Section 235, because it has been misapplied and exploited by rightwing fringe elements to entrench racial segregation under the guise of cultural preservation,” he said.

‘Separatist mentality’

“We all agree we are diverse people from different cultures but there is a line somewhere. If I wanted to stay in Kleinfontein and be part of the community, the fact that I am black means I am not welcome there. It gives rise to the idea of a separatist mentality.”

Tau said we had to move into a world with Ubuntu at the core.

“They were willing to open a platform for us to engage and we have agreed they will work on a paper to look at what can allay Afrikaner fears that should we take over the government, what needs to be done for an inclusive South Africa.”

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