OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday
THE Pan Africanist Congress has denied claims of a division in its ranks on racial policies after being accused of fuelling racism through slogans and utterances by some of its leaders.
PAC president Stanley Mogoba has strongly reiterated that the slogan ”one oppressor, one bullet”, used recently on a purportedly official PAC pamphlet, was a violation of party policy.
The pamphlet was issued last week to advertise a commemoration service for Lieutenant Sibusiso Madubela, who shot dead eight white colleagues at the Tempe military base in Bloemfontein on 16 September last year.
The ceremony for Madubela, who was killed in a shootout with soldiers at the base following his shooting rampage, was conducted in Khayelitsha at the weekend.
Last week the PAC said the slogan was not official party policy, and urged its members not to use it.
”The PAC notes that at the rally PAC members heeded the request not to use the slogan,” Mogoba said. ”This is to be welcomed and is proof that in fact there is no division within party ranks.”
The Western Cape ANC has strongly criticised PAC provincial secretary Nkosinathi Mahala, who is alleged to have said that the PAC ”had no problem” with what Madubela had done.
”They are reaping what they sowed. PAC rhetoric of ‘one settler, one bullet’, which is still often used by PAC members with impunity, goes against the grain of our constitution and our country’s commitment to non-racialism,” ANC provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha said.
Mogoba said Mahala’s statements would be investigated, and action would be taken if necessary.
”Our official position is that we do not approve of Lt Madubela killing fellow soldiers, but we do understand the circumstances which prompted him to act as he did,” Mogoba said.
Skwatsha called on PAC MP Patricia de Lille to ”spend more time trying to unite the diverse factions of the PAC than bemoaning the lack of toilet paper in Parliament”.