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Solidarity today lodged a complaint against Marshall Dlamini, Secretary-General of the EFF, with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). This follows remarks by Dlamini in a speech he delivered during the EFF's protest at Brackenfell last week.

According to Solidarity, Dlamini made several disturbing statements towards minorities, specifically the white minority in South Africa, during the EFF's protest in Brackenfell. Eventually, his words from the podium to the crowd turned into actions when EFF protesters seriously assaulted a white man.

According to Connie Mulder, Head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), “South Africa's racial tension is being pushed to a breaking point by the EFF's actions and if the situation is simply tolerated, it will lead to an explosion in the tinderbox which will be to everyone’s detriment. It has become necessary for reasonable people to stand up against them.”

Solidarity argues that Mr. Dlamini's speech meets the international criteria for racist hate speech and that this poses the ideal opportunity for the HRC to show that they are not a toothless watchdog, but are serious about eradicating racist hate speech, wherever it occurs.

"One cannot police every single Facebook profile in the country, therefore it is necessary to make examples of high-ranking people who make themselves guilty of racism. Mr. Dlamini's remarks are reprehensible and it is high time that MPs who are guilty of hate speech were treated in the same manner as retired real estate agents," Mulder explained.
 
Solidarity makes it clear that balanced action is ultimately all that will restore the public's confidence in the HRC and that this is the only way to curb true racism.
 
"There is no justification for anyone to brand a specific racial group as the 'enemy' and then make it clear that you have to kill your enemy. On top of that, the EFF is a party that has repeatedly indicated that they are comfortable with the idea of a civil war in South Africa. Given the tremendous levels of racial tension currently in our country and the growing distrust of communities towards the state, the time for chapter 9 institutions to pussyfoot around politicians' egos, at the expense of inter-racial peace, is now finally over," concludes Mulder.

Issued by Solidarity