White supremacy and racism still exist, says Zuma

AT the Human Rights Day celebrations in Durban yesterday, President Jacob Zuma announced that government has drafted a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is finalising the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill which is expected to be tabled in Parliament by September this year. The President said the law is intended to make hate crimes and hate speech a statutory offense.

During the national Human Rights Day celebrations in Durban on Monday, Zuma said government chose the theme ‘South Africans United Against Racism for Human Rights Day’ due to the need to continue working together to eliminate racism and its manifestations in the country.

“Our mission since 1994 is to create a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. This is the task of every South African. Earlier this year, our country experienced explosions of anger due to racist utterances and writings which reminded South Africans that the vestiges of white supremacy and racism still exist in some sections of society,” said President Zuma.

He said it became clear that there are people who still yearn for the past where black people were treated like second-class citizens because of their skin colour.

“We know that the majority of South Africans abhor racism and racial discrimination. That is why our theme correctly says that we are united against racism. The struggle against apartheid was in the main a struggle against racism, which is the notion that one group of people is better than others and is superior to others simply because of their skin colour,” he said.