Race baiting the order of the day at land hearings

Race baiting by ministers in the hearings being held by the joint committee on constitutional review continued in parliament yesterday.

This followed attacks and snide remarks over the race of testifiers on Tuesday.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) yesterday lashed out at the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) over its remarks on Tuesday dismissing Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks as a “white messiah”.

“Cosatu condemns the immature and racist attacks by the EFF directed at Matthew Parks during today’s expropriation without compensation public hearings in parliament,” national spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said in a statement yesterday.

“Some inconsequential EFF MP (Tebogo Mkwele) and her leader, Floyd Shivambu, accused Parks of siding with White Monopoly Capital and serving white interests because he is also white,” Pamla said.

“These moral cretins and political idiots said this after Parks communicated Cosatu’s position of supporting the expropriation of land without compensation, but opposing the changing of Section 25 of the constitution.”

Pamla said the federation was not shocked by the “outrageous attacks” on Parks by the “organised noisemakers and professional race hustlers”.

“They are nothing but angry, self-pitying delusionists with the moral compass of an opportunistic infection. These creatures of bombastic nonsense thrive on any applause or social media likes that they can get through flippant name-calling,” said Pamla.

Back in parliament yesterday, AgriSA’s stance against expropriation and amending the constitution showed the only thing they were interested in was profit, and not the equality of people, charged Mkwele.

“This clearly shows the white minority will do anything in their power to make sure that our people don’t get land,” Mkwele said. “The manner in which they are behaving clearly shows that the only interest they have in this country is profit, nothing else but profit.

“That is why they know that without land they won’t survive in terms of their economic benefits.”

Committee chair Lewis Nzimande – flying solo following the removal of Vincent Smith due to unrelated corruption allegations – asked members to stay on track and said the purpose of the hearings were to allow people to present their views.

National African Farmers Union Motsepe Matlala held section 25 should be amended, all land should be nationalised and private ownership should be abolished.

“Section 25 presents arguments between whatever lawyer you have employed so therefore it must be reconsidered. If we amend it, it will open the road for all South Africans to engage towards a better future for our children,” said Matlala.

Andile Mngxitama of Black First Land First said land could not be given to politicians, and seemed to have a problem with mostly whites who, according to him, had caused the current recession.

The crux of Mngxitama’s presentation was all land held by whites was stolen property and they had no right to it and the constitution should be amended to reflect this.

The Orania movement was against section 25 being changed in an “isolated way” while clinging to the right of self-determination.

Afrikanerbond representatives said an analysis on land need and use needed to be completed first.

– amandaw@citizen.co.za

ALSO READ: Scrap section 25, declare all white-owned land stolen – Mngxitama

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