AfriForum deputy chief executive Ernst Roets
Not-for-profit organisation AfriForum will fight all forms of racism through its anti-racism unit, which it launched in Johannesburg on Monday.
The unit was launched alongside a report titled ‘Confronting racism consistently’, which AfriForum’s deputy chief executive Ernst Roets said dealt with various aspects of racism and hate speech and the state of racism in South Africa. The boundary between freedom of speech and hate speech, and legal remedies to fight racism, were tackled in the report.
The unit’s action plan would include the appointment of private investigators and Roets said the unit would also take a stand against double standards involving racism and hate speech.
“Our research persistently indicates that white racism is constantly aggressively condemned, while black racism is often ignored, or even defended in some areas. To fight one form of racism while accepting, defending or even promoting another form of racism, is also a form of racism,” Roets pointed out.
Acting as advisers to the unit would be the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) chief executive officer Dr Frans Cronje, civil rights activist Rhoda Kadalie, attorney Mark Oppenheimer, and criminal investigator Dr Llewelyn Curlewis.
Cronje said the IRR’s research had repeatedly indicated that the vast majority of people of all races in South Africa wanted to live in peace with one another, but that there was a problem in the extreme poles where racism was encouraged.
He added that the IRR remained concerned that politicians and other commentators sought to incite racial divisions for political or ideological gain.
“While there is not room for complacency, either about the hurtful rhetoric of the few, or worrying shifts in public perceptions, it is clear that despite worsening economic conditions, high unemployment, poor education and the real inequalities that still bedevil South Africa, race relations remain generally sound. This is a vital foundation for the country to build on,” said Cronje.
Addressing the legal perspective, Curlewis said that although racism was not yet classified as a crime, or criminalised, in South Africa, it could lead to criminal actions such as incitement to murder, vandalism, assault crimen injuria, criminal defamation and other crimes.