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The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Ronald Lamola’s recent remarks in the United States of America (USA) in which he condemned race-based policies, referring to the USA’s refugee programme as “Apartheid 2.0”. Minister Lamola made the comments while addressing the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington D.C. yesterday.

As the DA we welcome Minister Lamola’s condemnation of race-based policies which he has now publicly rejected and we encourage him to demonstrate his sudden opposition to policies drafted along racial lines back home in the South African cabinet room.

If opposing race-based policies is now a matter of principle for Minister Lamola, and not merely a matter of diplomatic convenience, he must use his position in cabinet and parliament to condemn the African National Congress’ (ANC) own battery of race-based laws and policies back home.

Minister Lamola cannot credibly lecture the world on non-racialism, and criticise race-based policies elsewhere in the world while his own party continues to entrench them in South Africa. The ANC continues to classify citizens by race, allocate opportunity along racial lines, and defend policies that divide and impoverish South Africans instead of empowering them on the basis of need, disadvantage, and merit.

The DA remains committed to eliminating all forms of race-based policy in order to build a truly non-racial South Africa where the government provides economic justice and opportunity without permanently reducing citizens to arbitrary racial categories. We are delighted that Minister Lamola has now publicly adopted this principle too.

Minister Lamola now has an opportunity to show that his opposition to race-based policy is genuine and consistent. He should start in the cabinet room and on the floor of parliament.

Issued by DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation Ryan Smith