Celani Sikhakhane
The DA Chairperson in KwaZulu Natal has eaten up a plate of humble pie after making the call to remove the incredibly controversial campaign posters from Phoenix.
The racially divisive posters, which have caused widespread outrage across the country, carried the messages: “The ANC called you racists” and “The DA calls you heroes”.
DA KZN Chairperson Dean Macpherson admitted on Thursday that he put up the posters without any directive from his party.
“The Democratic Alliance is in the process of removing posters in KZN, which are inadvertently offensive,” said Macpherson.
He says it was his sincere effort to honour the bravery and heroism of law-abiding citizens who were left to fend for themselves during the July riots and insurrection.
He added that the posters had regretfully caused hurt to some people and he was deeply sorry.
The posters have received widespread criticism especially in Phoenix, where racial tensions have been at boiling-point since July when 36 people were killed during the unrest.
The DA has been accused of stoking racial tensions between Phoenix’s Indian and Black communities.
Macpherson’s u-turn came after politicians from every side of the political spectrum, social activists, and the families of those killed in Phoenix took to different platforms to express their outrage.
Macpherson said that sometimes in politics, “our words may be poorly chosen, but I wish to assure the public, without contradiction, that my intentions are always sincere.”
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte, who was in Phoenix on Thursday, said it was good that the DA was taking the posters down.
“We will go ahead with the Human Rights Commission complaint,” she said.
