eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba Defends Himself After Facing Accusations of Racism

• eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba faces racism accusations following a tense park confrontation
• Cyril Xaba insists he serves all residents equally amid escalating repatriation operations
• Visvin Reddy claims Xaba's defence is a diversion from accountability and constitutional principles

DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL— eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has defended his actions against accusations of racism following a tense confrontation at a Durban park where thousands of displaced individuals await repatriation. Xaba’s representative, Mlu Mtungwa, dismissed formal complaints from uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Visvin Reddy, who claimed the municipal leader used identity politics to evade public accountability.

According to IOL, the dispute occurred at Sherwood Park, where Xaba informed an individual attempting to interject that he was addressing the Africans. Mtungwa stated the challenger was an undocumented foreign national who behaved disruptively and repeatedly interrupted the address. Mtungwa maintained that Xaba, who recently announced repatriation facilities for documented foreigners, serves all residents equally without differentiation based on race, colour, or faith, urging locals to resist divisive narratives.

Read also

Phakel'umthakathi plans March to Mayfair amid claims Somalis are driving out South Africans

Visvin Reddy disputes mayor's defence

Reddy insisted the individual is a South African citizen, labelling Xaba’s explanation a calculated manoeuvre to bypass scrutiny. The MP described the executive's comments as offensive and a violation of non-racial constitutional principles, urging African National Congress leaders to enforce disciplinary measures and secure an official public apology from Xaba.

The verbal standoff unfolded as state repatriation operations intensified for approximately 7,000 primarily Malawian nationals camped at the location. The environment remains volatile, marked by intermittent clashes with law enforcement. Gift of the Givers intervened to distribute water and essential emergency provisions. Official data confirms that among the processed crowd, 1,876 migrants were verified as undocumented or in direct violation of domestic immigration laws.

Cyril Xaba pleads with Durban residents

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Xaba made a plea with Durban residents after tensions between them and foreign nationals developed. He asked them to live peacefully with foreign nationals.

Source: Briefly News