Former Johannesburg mayoral candidate Lufuno Gogoro was forced to apologise after he grabbed the microphone from a singer as she began the Afrikaans section of the national anthem at the launch of a new political party.
The incident happened on Wednesday during the launch of the All Citizens Party (ACP) at Hartbeespoort in North West.
Gogoro, who rose to minor fame after he tried to overthrow EFF leader Julius Malema in 2014, was the event’s programme director on Wednesday as he is the head of election campaigns for the ACP.
He jumped on stage when singer Fatima Moatsabang opened the programme with the national anthem.
Gogoro grabbed the microphone and said he couldn’t allow the singing of the Afrikaans section of the anthem because it was a reminder of the apartheid oppression of black people.
The founder of the ACP, Dr Senathi Fisha, called Gogoro’s action unacceptable.
“Die Stem is not our fight. Some people have taken that as their fight. Ours is to build a united South Africa for all. Therefore it was unacceptable to grab the microphone from Fatima. You need to apologise,” she said.
Gogoro said although he hated Afrikaans because of its history as a language of oppression, he would apologise.
“I apologise for my actions. It is just that my political background plays a vital role in this action. I truly apologise and understand that here at ACP we have a different political ideology that I truly respect,” he said.
Gogoro left the ANC in 2014 to join the EFF but plotted against Malema and was fired the same year.
He later joined the African Democratic Change party but left them to join the Limpopo-based Bolsheviks Party and was their Johannesburg mayoral candidate in 2021.
The national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century Xhosa hymn Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and the Afrikaans song that was used during the apartheid era, Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, with new English lyrics.
Pictured above: ACP leader Dr Senathi Fisha on the podium with Lufono Gogoro sitting behind her.
Image source: Celani Sikhakhane
