ActionSA, EFF picket in KZN, want DA councillor fired over racist voice note

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ActionSA are calling for a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor to be sacked over racism allegations.

Members of the political parties are picketing outside the Newcastle Local Municipality’s office in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), demanding that Connie Hariram be fired.

‘I’m very disappointed’

Hariram, who is a ward 3 councillor in Newcastle, has come under fire over alleged racist remarks heard in a voice note circulated on a community WhatsApp group.

In the audio clip, the DA councillor is heard questioning why then Abathu Bantu Congress candidate Thandeka Reed was elected to a ward committee where predominantly Indian people lived.

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“I’m so disappointed that I could cry. What some of you have done has really disappointed me. That lady, Thandeka, is a black lady and we were all Indians there. Who voted for her? The Indians.

“The people that I’m talking to right now, their people, and family and friends voted for her. I’m very disappointed and I don’t know what to say and what to do,” she said.

Listen to the voice note below:

Formal complaint

Following the leaking of audio, the EFF in KZN condemned Hariram’s remarks and called for the councillor to step down with immediate effect.

ActionSA also took steps to hold Hariram accountable.

“We have written to the speaker of the municipality demanding to know why have they failed to take necessary action against the racist councillor, as we have been informed that this office was made aware of the voice note in September last year, and received a formal complaint from Ms Reed on the 3 October 2022, to which an acknowledgement receipt of the complaint was received in writing by Ms Reed, but the office has since gone silent,” ActionSA KZN chairperson Zwakele Mncwango said.

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According to Mncwango, Reed reported the matter to the authorities, but there has been no progress in the probe into it.

“On 5 December, the racist DA councillor ordered her lawyers to propose a settlement outside of court and were prepared to pay an undisclosed amount to Ms Reed, which she rejected.

“She went on to report the matter with the South African Human Rights Commission [SAHRC] on 6 December, however, the organisation has been dragging its feet in investigating the matter.”

Last week, KZN co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Sihle Zikalala asked the municipality’s speaker to investigate the allegations.

‘Lack of action’

DA KZN spokesperson, Sthe Ngema told News24 that the party has already carried out an investigation into Haririam’s comments. The investigation was concluded before the end of last year.

No outcome has been communicated yet.

ActionSA has since referred Hariram to the Newcastle Municipality’s ethics committee because of the “silence and lack of action” by the DA.

“What is most concerning is the fact that the DA admitted having known about the voice note in October 2022, yet they have been silent about it, nor did the racist councillor face any disciplinary action after admitting having recorded and sharing the voice note on a social media platform, leaving one to firmly believe that the DA was attempting to bury this matter,” Mncwango continued.

The party has also laid a complaint against the speaker, who ActionSA accuses of doing nothing to deal with “this serious matter”.

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