The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday added fuel to the fire of controversy ignited by government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi’s comments on coloured people, with the release of a recording of remarks he made about Indian South Africans.
“Indians, we should be having only 3% [of positions on management]. They are sitting at 5,9%. I call it the power of bargaining. Indians have bargained their way to the top,” Manyi said in an address delivered to the Durban Chamber of Commerce last year.
The DA’s federal chairperson, Wilmot James, told journalists at Parliament that the recording, made by SAfm radio for broadcast, was tracked down by party researchers two days ago.
Manyi had been speaking in his capacity as labour department director general at the time.
‘Vile’
The address took place on February 20 last year, a month before his controversial remarks about there being an “over-supply” and “over-concentration” of coloured people in the Western Cape.
Copies of the Durban recording were handed to journalists at Wednesday’s press conference. On it, Manyi’s audience of chamber members can be heard laughing at his remarks.
James called Manyi’s remarks “racist” and “vile”, and said they had no place in a democratic society trying to overcome the painful divisions of its past.
He called for Manyi’s dismissal.
“The DA today calls on President [Jacob] Zuma to dismiss his government spokesperson, Jimmy Manyi,” he said.
In jest
Contacted for comment on Wednesday, Manyi confirmed he had made the remarks in his Durban address, but said they were in jest.
“The remarks were made in jest; just a jest, on a light note. I was quoting figures at the time. The remark was really just made in jest,” he said.
He declined to comment further.
Earlier, James described Manyi’s remarks as “nothing more than bigotry and prejudice disguised as humour”
Support
Meanwhile, African National Congress stalwart and former education minister Kader Asmal has written to “his friend and comrade”, Minister Manuel, after the latter’s blistering attack on Manyi, published in an open letter on Wednesday.
Manuel criticised Manyi for comments he made when he was director general of the department of labour in a show broadcast on KykNET, Robinson Regstreeks, in March 2010 that there was an “over supply” of coloured people in the Western Cape.
The minister of planning told Manyi the “statements would make you a racist in the mould of HF Verwoed”.
Kadar congratulated Manuel on his letter on Wednesday, in his own open letter sent to the press.
“Minister Manuel deserves the support and praise of all right-thinking South Africans,” said Asmal. “What drove him to respond in such clear and moving language was not only his belief in the core values of the African National Congress as expressed in the Freedom Charter, but also his adherence to the principles of equality and non-discrimination enshrined in our Constitution.
“The choice facing us is very clear: do we stand behind the humane and generous values of Minister Manuel, or do we, by staying silent, lend our support to the mischievous and dangerous notions of Mr Manyi?
“Our government must also make this choice.”