/ 9 April 2001

?It?s time to boycott racist businesses?

SA COMMUNIST Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande has called for a massive consumer boycott of goods and services from farmers, shopkeepers and suppliers found to be racist.

Nzimande was speaking at a national rally in Ermelo, Mpumalanga marking the start of the Chris Hani National Memorial Week. Hani, one of SA?s top leaders was shot by right-wing extremists on April 10, 1993.

The call was made ahead of the launch of the SACP?s programme to mark its 80th anniversary in July.

The SACP has asked its trade union colleagues for information about racism in the workplace and help in identifying problem individuals and businesses, he said.

Nzimande told several thousand people at the rally that had Hani lived, he would have been at the head of the programme for mass action.

He said Ermelo was chosen for the rally as it was seen as an epicentre of racism in agriculture. The town was also strategic to rebuilding the party?s structures in the region.

?Many cases go unreported in the media. Here in Mpumalanga, our office receives many complaints and reports of racism and racial attacks emanating mainly from farmers who continue to treat black people with contempt as if they are not human beings,? Nzimande said.

Nzimande also discussed the party?s Make Banks Serve the People Campaign to get banks to consider policies in favour of poor and working people.

Another SACP target at the rally was the newspaper City Press over its reports on the death of Chris Hani?s daughter Nomakhwezi.

?City Press chose to assassinate Nomakhwezi by alleging that she died from a drug addiction – even before there was a post-mortem conducted and this in the midst of the bereavement period for the Hani family.?

Post-mortem results released last week said Nomakhwezi had died from an asthma attack. Hani?s mother, Nomayise, was buried earlier this year.