A general view at the City of Tshwane council meeting on 24 November 2021, in Pretoria. Photo: Gallo Images/Beeld/Deaan Vivier
The DA, Freedom Front Plus and EFF in Tshwane each plan to report cases at the Human Rights Commission and the police after a council meeting last week turned ugly between the coalition partners and the opposition with threats and insults thrown around.
EFF Tshwane leader Obakeng Ramabodu apologised for losing his cool and saying it would be nice to “moer a Boer.”
EFF Tshwane caucus whip Godwin Ratikwana said they would not be intimidated by the opposition’s tactics and would take action against Mark Surgeon of the FF Plus by reporting him to the SAHRC for intimidation through his racist acts.
Ratikwana said that during the last council meeting, Tshwane EFF leader Ramabodu faced direct threats from “white reactionaries” who expressed their intent to beat him.
“This decision comes in the wake of a series of racially charged incidents and persistent systemic racism.
“The recent hostile behaviour exhibited by Surgeon is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of racism and intimidation perpetuated by certain individuals and groups within Tshwane,” he said.
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Ratikwana said Ramabodu told the council that the DA mayor, Cilliers Brink, had also shown blatant disregard and disrespect for council members by labelling them as drunkards and looters and refusing to apologise.
“Let us remind the DA that it was their own members who expressed readiness to resort to violence.
“We will not allow them to rewrite the narrative to suit their agenda,” he said.
DA Tshwane caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto said Ramabodu had a record of making hateful and threatening remarks.
“Despite our complaints to the police, he has remained largely untouched.
“At Thursday’s council meeting, he committed hate speech. Worse still, his references to ‘moer’ and ‘blood’ in his remarks against Afrikaners included a clear threat of hateful violence,” said Moloto.
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Moloto said the DA would also be lodging hate speech and intimidation complaints against Ramabodu with the police.
MMC for safety in Tshwane and FF Plus caucus leader Grundi Theunissen described Ramabodu’s remark as inflammatory and deeply troubling.
“It cannot be excused under any circumstances, even amid provocation,” he said.
Theunissen said because it was not the first instance that Ramabodu had directed such insults and remarks towards the FF Plus, FF Plus had already taken steps to file a complaint with the SAHRC for hate speech.
“The EFF now claims that their statements were provoked by Surgeon and made out of rage and anger.
“If we turn a blind eye to such behaviour and fail to address it, it sets a dangerous precedent, effectively normalising such unacceptable conduct in public discourse.
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“Committing serious offences out of rage and anger cannot be excused.
“The EFF’s excuse lacks reasonableness and responsibility. These words were not mere outbursts; they were deliberate and thought-through statements,” he said.
Politically analyst Piet Croucamp said the disruptions and name-calling in council was a disgrace and said if the councillors were not held accountable, this would continue.
Croucamp said because the EFF councillor made his remarks in public, he should be held accountable in public.
“I hope Brink stands firm and holds his ground and manages to stabilise things to give the Tshwane council the governance it deserves,” he said.
Another political analyst, René Oosthuizen, said the tendency of name-calling and mudslinging among political parties underscored a troubling trend in South African politics.
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“With the ANC attempting to table a motion of no confidence in the DA mayor last week, I believe this action sparked further discord between the parties.
“This deflected focus from urgent local service delivery challenges that require the council’s urgent attention,” she said.
Oosthuizen said despite the EFF councillor apologising for his comments, it should not be seen as a sign that ongoing council tension and mayhem will end.
“While political disagreements and debates are fundamental to any democracy, the current level of discourse in the Tshwane multiparty government council has degenerated into what I would call a spectacle that serves no one but the politicians’ egos.”
Oosthuizen said residents of Tshwane deserved leaders who put the interest of the residents first, not leaders embroiled in petty squabbles.
