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The Congress of the People calls on the Speaker of the Western Cape Parliament, Mr Shahid Esau, to explain his recent comments as reported in the media. He allegedly said that there were "too many black women in the legislature" and he referred to white Afrikaans South Africans as "boere".

One would expect that Mr Esau would be more sensitive to the baggage that we still carry based on racial labels and stereotypes. Surely in his position of authority as Speaker he should be more diplomatic in his choice of words.

Regardless of his assertions that his comments were taken out of context, he should realize that in his position of prominence in the public eye, "the mic is always on".

Despite the fact that there was "no malice intended", Mr Esau should in future choose his words with a lot more tact.