Well, that escalated. In response to Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi’s tweet last week, a petition has been launched to “protect Orania”. Here’s what the Freedom Front Plus had to say.
The petition calls on supporters of Orania to show Lesufi that they “won’t be intimidated” by him.
In a tweet directed to the Freedom Front Plus, Lesufi said affirmative action would be around until their “ancestors sins are eradicated”.
He added: “We are also ‘nie bang nie’. Orania will go, you can scream and shout as you wish.”
In response to his tweet, the Freedom Front Plus said: “Afrikaner and minority bashing will not save the ANC. You had your chance and will be swept aside by history.”
The party’s chief whip in the National Assembly, Corné Mulder, said the ANC had inherited the “most developed state in Africa and destroyed it, nothing that the ANC touched in 27 years does not need [a] serious turnaround strategy [sic].
The party also said: “The FF Plus wants to make its message to Lesufi loud and clear: in 2024, an opposition coalition – of which the FF Plus will be a senior partner – will take over the Gauteng government.”
The party said the new opposition coalition would “replace ANC policy with appointments made on merit alone and quality service providers”.
The back and forth between the Freedom Front Plus and Lesufi ensued after the party launched its election manifesto over the weekend.
The party called for an “end to BEE [black economic empowerment] and Affirmative Action”.
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