6 March 2000
Tony Leon’s anti-ANC rantings at the Democratic Party’s federal congress at the weekend, should be seen against the background of the DP’s failure, despite concerted and expensive efforts, to make inroads into the ANC’s support base. It is frustration from such failure that left Leon and his lieutenants clutching at straws.
By accusing the ANC of racism, Tony Leon did himself and his party a great disservice because he told his followers the direct opposite of what they know: that the party that buried racism in this country, and continues to fight it wherever and whenever it raises its ugly head, is none other than the ANC. He lied and they know it.
It was 1990, shortly after the unbanning of political organisations, that our then President, Oliver Tambo reminded us, lest we forget: "it is our responsibility to break the barriers of division and create a country where there will be neither whites nor blacks, just South Africans, free and united in their diversity." Comrade Tambo was only reminding us of what had, for decades, been one of the corner stones of our policy, from which we have never deviated..
It is ironic for the ANC to be accused of racism by Tony Leon, who owes what he is today to racism, which he and his ilk benefited from, while ANC members were laying down their lives to eradicate it.
Tony Leon’s claims that the DP stands for non-racism is disproved by their attitude towards Barney Pityana and the HRC, as well as their rabid opposition to affirmative action. In fact, their position on these two issues are a yardstick to measure the DP’s and its leader’s hypocrisy over the issue of racism.
They hate Pityana for the simple reason that he has undertaken to probe racism in the media. The issue of the subpoenas is a red herring. As for affirmative action: the DP and its fellow relics of our political past hate it because it seeks to close the economic gap between blacks and whites.
That is the tide that Tony Leon calls on his fellow so-called democrats to turn. We can assure Leon that the people of South Africa, who know the suffering under the yoke of racism, from which he and his fellow travellers benefited, will not allow him to reverse the gains of their struggle for non-racism.
As for his hope for his party to bring the ANC below 50 per cent of the vote: well, that was a brilliant display of excellence in the art of self delusion.
Issued by Nat Serache
Media Liaison Officer
Department of Information and Publicity
51 Plein Street
Johannesburg
Contact number: 082-416-3150