KZN Cogta MEC Pushes for Probe Into DA Councillor’s Racist Rant, Says Conduct Was “Distasteful and Unfitting”

• Sihle Zikalala, the Cogta MEC in KZN wants a DA councillor investigated for allegations of racism
• Connie Hariram has been in hot water since she questioned why a black woman was elected to a predominantly Indian ward in a voice note
• The DA has claimed to have taken action against Hariram following the conclusion of an investigation in 2022

DURBAN - Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC in KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, is gunning for the Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor who came under fire for an alleged racist rant about a fellow councillor.

Zikalala has asked the municipality speaker to investigate the Newcastle ward 3 councillor, Connie Hariram, for a voice note in which she claims disappointment over the election of a black woman into the ward committee.

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Hariram was referring to Abathu Bantu Congress' Thandeka Reed who was elected by a predominantly Indian ward in February 2022. In the voice note, the councillor said that she was so disappointed that she could cry.

Hariram added:

"What some of you have done has really disappointed me. That lady, Thandeka, is a black lady and we are all Indians there. Who voted for her? The Indians."

Zikalala criticised Hariram's comments as being distasteful and unfitting of a public representative. The Cogta MEC said that public officials should work toward creating social cohesion within their communities, TimesLIVE reported.

Zikalala wants the speaker of the municipality to probe whether Hariram is in breach of the council's code of conduct.

Democratic Alliance claims it has taken action against Connie Hariram

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ActionSA chairperson and former DA provincial leader, Zwakele Mncwango, has raised questions about why the municipality has not acted.

However, the DA KZN spokesperson, Sthe Ngema, said the party had acted against Hariram adding that the DA initiated a probe into the matter that was concluded before the end of 2022, News24 reported.

South Africans react to the DA councillor's racist rant

South Africans are fed up with the recurrence of racist incidents in the country.

This is what citizens are saying:

@docbug64 commented:

"If she can do the job then why not."

@Jacob78799727 questioned:

"I wonder what would be the ANC's reaction should an Indian or white person be elected by a predominantly black-dominated community?"

@FearlessTshepo claimed:

"DA is not the problem. The problem is black people who keep supporting it."

@Sabelo15680430 added:

"They will never stop being racist."

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says apartheid is over, tells supporters not to be afraid of white people

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In another story, Briefly News reported that African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a strong message to racists during the ruling party’s 111th birthday celebrations in Mangaung on Sunday, 8 January.

The ANC president condemned the incident and said it was a “shameful” act to see old white men throttling teenagers and trying to drown them. He said white people no longer have power as apartheid is over, according to TimesLIVE.

Ramaphosa said there was no place for racists in South Africa. He called for those who had not reformed to immediately leave the country.

Source: Briefly News