Racism cannot be cured or be debated, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.

“Those who are victims are impatient. Those who have been beneficiaries of racism have been emboldened and they say a number of things,” he told reporters in Pretoria.

Mantashe was briefing the media following a three day national executive committee meeting.

He said President Jacob Zuma discussed the issue of racism at length while delivering his political report to the meeting.

This follows heated debate over racism which was sparked by comments in early January by real estate agent Penny Sparrow who called black beachgoers “monkeys”.

Racism has dominated the political narrative ahead of local government elections.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane last week called on racists not to vote for his party.

Mantashe on Wednesday said the solution was to “deal with social dynamics in society” and transform the economy.

“It should be access to land and the allocation of land to people who have been deprived of access to land.

“All programs must ensure that black people benefit from the economy of the country.”

Restoring dignity of majority

He emphasised that it was not just about addressing social economic problems but restoring the dignity of the majority.

“Those who don’t have access to basic needs and basic necessities of development will never be able to debate whilst our people don’t even have access to land.

“That is why… we refer to accelerating of the allocation of land. If we don’t do that, we are unable to address inequality and racism.”

The discussions at the ANC lekgotla were expected to contribute to Zuma’s state of the nation address next month.

News24

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