Celani Sikhakhane
The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal has summoned a hasty meeting over its election campaign posters which have caused outrage on social media.
The posters feature a not-very-subtle reference to the violence in August where members of the local Indian and African communities fatally clashed. The police have named 36 people who were killed either by shooting or being hacked to death during what is being referred to as the Phoenix massacre.
Most of those who were killed were from the townships of KwaMashu, Amaoti, Inanda and Bhambayi.
One poster reads: “The ANC called you racist” while another says: “The DA calls you heroes”.
A DA leader who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed the posters were fake but were still very damaging to the image of the party.
“We need an investigation so that those who did this should be brought forward and face the music. All leaders of the party including the provincial leader, Francois Rodgers, are in an urgent meeting to discuss the matter,” he said.
Author and radio journalist Eusebius Mackaiser took to Twitter to say that the messages from these posters reveal the true DNA of the DA.
Another Twitter user wrote: “Phoenix Kwa-Zulu Natal, in Durban where we witnessed Black people being butchered by Indians #PhoenixMassacre and the Democratic Alliance does this. Know your DA!!”
One Twitter user wrote: “They know exactly WHO they’re calling heroes and exactly what those “heroes” did to Black ppl in #PhoenixMassacre.”
DA MP Ghalleb Cachalia defended those who took action in Phoenix. “Because residents defended their persons and property against looters inspired by insurrectionists? Because the DA stood shoulder to shoulder with them on the ground? Yip, that’s the DA – defending people under attack and affirming their rights in the patent absence of law & order.”
DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers could not be reached for comment.
Image source: Twitter
