Maimane: I disagree with Zille’s #BlackPrivilege tweets
Updated | By Sinethemba Madolo
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane says he disagrees with controversial comments by former Western Cape premier Helen Zille on so-called black privilege.
Maimane was speaking outside Parliament on Tuesday.
On Friday, Zille commented on a viral video, posted by a Twitter user, of a black American poet ruminating about "white privilege".
Responding to the tweet, Zille questioned why the speaker in the video was speaking English to express her views, which started a running commentary by the politician on #BlackPrivilege.
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"It is being able to loot a country and steal hundreds of billions and get re-elected. If ppl want permanent poverty for the masses they are going about it the right way. #BlackPrivilege" Zille tweeted.
Well you clearly don't understand black privilege. It is being able to loot a country and steal hundreds of billions and get re-elected. If ppl want permanent poverty for the masses they are going about it the right way. #BlackPrivilege
— Helen Zille (@helenzille) May 17, 2019
But Maimane said he disagrees with Zille on the issue.
"And I tell you, the discussion about privilege in this country is a function not only of our history taking advantage of a particular race over another but it's also a function the last number of years have done in government, where we have failed at being able to create access opportunity for all South Africans and ensuring that ultimately all South Africans can infact be included.
"The resolution to that challenge is not a function of discussion black privilege or white privilege it is a discussions of asking black South Africans and white South Africans to work together to address a historical injustice. Therefore, any view that seeks to polarise South Africans on the basis of race is not a view that I will support," Maimane said.
Maimane said the focus should rather be on working together to redress issues.
"Our focus must be in working together as South Africans - black and white - to recognise those injustices and therefore work to address them.
"It is incumbent, if I want to protect language rights of a particular race that it must be done by the majority of citizens. Because if we end up in a discussion where minorities are put up against majority then the minority will lose."
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