Cape Town - A new member of the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC), Paul Bester, has reacted with shock to a backlash over “a white man joining a coloured party”, saying he has no hidden agenda but hoped to work with marginalised communities.
The 53-year-old from Kraaifontein said there was mixed reaction when he announced he had joined the party recently, with people questioning his motives.
“I officially joined the Kraaifontein CCC branch and when this was announced, questions were posed as to why would a white guy join a coloured party. As if I have a hidden agenda.
“My response was ‘don’t judge me as a white person. Judge me on me’. Many people don’t know where I come from and labelling me as a white guy without knowing me is wrong,” he said.
Bester is no stranger to politics. In 1992 he said he joined the ANC and also worked on the front lines of Cosatu.
He said he made the decision to leave the ANC when his membership lapsed.
“My membership lapsed in November 2022 and I informed the party that I am not going to renew it.
“Having been a member of Cosatu and the ANC since 1992, it is clear that the ruling party has adopted a ‘politics of the stomach’ approach and the leaders have become career politicians,” he said.
“About a year ago, I approached many leaders to assist me in an issue of informal traders and permit waivers.
Other leaders listened but had a plethora of excuses,” Bester said.
“I approached councillor Fadiel Adams, and he took it to council, so much so that the permits were waived.
“To those who like to do white bashing: every white South African, maybe a very small percentage, has got either Malay history, coloured or other bloodlines in them.
“So to call me white, you are showing your lack of knowledge of our history.”
The CCC party’s secretary general, Sakeena Frenchman, said Bester was not the first white to join the party. “Another member, a white guy, joined us during the time of Gatvol Capetonian. We have black members as well.
“They understand that our fight is not a racial fight, but rather a fight for equality and fairness. They left their particular political parties that promised to make lives better, but have only succeeded in destroying lives,” she said.
Frenchman added that Bester was an asset for the party’s mission to uplift communities.
“Paul recognises that the lives of the poor are not getting better at this stage,” she said.
“Our country is deteriorating and he has decided to join our party because we are the only party that is addressing the real issues.”
Cape Times