Struggle icon Mlangeni supports call to criminalise racism
Icon says racism should be considered a crime.
ONE of the last surviving Rivonia treason trialists, Andrew Mlangeni, has added his voice to those who are calling for the criminalisation of racism in the country.
“… I’m saddened… by these racist rants on social media in our country. I think it is time we consider racism as a crime so that we can punish racists. I support those who are calling for a law criminalising racism,” he said.
The 91-year-old liberation icon was speaking at the screening of his documentary at Lilies Farm in Rivonia on Thursday, which is titled ‘Prisoner 467/64 – The Untold Legacy of Andrew Mlangeni’.
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has held a series of dialogues aimed at engendering a common national identity and cementing social cohesion. The Minister has been very vocal about efforts to tighten legislation to stem discrimination. He says all of this is to protect what many, such as Mlangeni and Nelson Mandela, have lived and worked hard for to build a new and united South Africa.
When asked how the nation should remember him and how the nation should honour him, Mlangeni, who spent 26 years in prison, said: “I think you must remember me as one of those who fought for liberation in this country…”
