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The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in Tshwane has called for the expropriation of land from racist farmers.
The league made the call at an anti-racism protest in Bronkhorstspruit on Tuesday, where the small town's CBD was shut down. Not a single open shop or business could be spotted as the crowd flocked to the CBD to protest against alleged incidents of racism.
ANCYL Tshwane regional chairperson Lesego Makhubela described Bronkhorstspruit as the "headquarters of racism" and said that action in the form of land expropriation needed to be taken.
"This particular part of the region of Tshwane is the headquarters of racism and that's where we believe the policy of expropriating land is implemented. The first farms that must be taken must be from this area," Makhubela said.
"The ANC must expropriate the farms and the plots that are in the hands of racists who still live in the past because it's in the farms and in those plots that our people are firstly exploited, secondly raped and thirdly killed. We have evidence of that."
He added that racism had no place in South Africa.
"The ANC does also not believe in reverse racism, meaning blacks against whites. We believe in a non-racial society where black people and white people live in harmony and prosperity."
Racist farmers must be expropriated
ANC chairperson in Tshwane Dr Kgosi Maepa echoed his sentiments.
"We are going to expropriate all the land of the farmers who are racist and abuse people. Those workers will own that farm. Workers in those farms, when we expropriate, they become the new owners because we can't allow farmers who abuse people here," said Maepa.
Kgosi added that the ANC leadership in Tshwane joined the march to support people who were abused racially.
"We want people to live freely, walk freely, to work freely in any environment. We don't have to be abused because of racism. We don't have to be abused because people in the workplace that feel they can use their racial superiority to undermine and abuse workers."
Protesters dispersed after a memorandum of demands was handed over to police at the Bronkhorstspruit police station.
Latest incident involving security company
The shutdown protest was also sparked by an incident in which a security guard was stripped down to his underpants and beaten before his employer allegedly forced him to walk home in the rain.
According to protesters, the security guard had been caught sleeping while he was on duty at a factory in Ekandustria on January 1.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo confirmed the incident to News24 and said a case of assault and crimen injuria was opened and the docket was with the National Prosecuting Authority.
Protesters were also concerned about the pace at which several cases were developing, including a matter involving a Bronkhortspruit man accused of raping his domestic worker and forcing her to perform sexual acts with his dogs.
