The BLF’s Andile Mngxitama. | Jacques Naude Independent Newspapers
Black First Land First (BLF) leader, Andile Mngxitama, has accused the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa of using his support for Palestine as an election tool.
The BLF leader said Ramaphosa has still not apologised for the Marikana massacre and has never condemned the killing of black South Africans in Phoenix in 2021.
This comes after Ramaphosa, who delivered his January 8 Statement on Saturday, said he is proud of the way the South African legal team presented its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in The Netherlands.
South Africa is suing Israel for alleged genocide and human violations in Gaza where more than 22 000 people, mostly children and women, have died since the start of the war in October.
In its 84-page submission to the ICJ, it claimed that Israeli officials incited violence with the intent of destroying the Palestinians as a people and as a culture.
Ramaphosa’s speech coincided with South Africa’s appearance before the ICJ where South Africa’s legal minds presented South Africa’s case against Israel.
Ramaphosa said the world is standing on the right side of history.
“I must say that I have never felt as proud as I felt when our legal team was arguing our case in The Hague and I never felt as proud as when I saw Ronald Lamola, a son of this province, standing there in that court introducing our case.
“Bathi abanye that the Palestinians that were there, many of them cried because they have a sense that South Africa is probably the only country that is standing by them through these trials and tribulations.”
However, speaking to “The Star”, Mngxitama said Ramaphosa was using this support for Palestine as an electioneering tool.
“The ANC is hypocritical and opportunistic. It is seeking to absolve itself from the domestic mess it is presiding over by playing good government on the Palestinian matter. It’s the same ANC which has nothing to say about ongoing atrocities in the African continent.
“It’s the same ANC which murdered workers in Marikana and unleashed cholera on the people of Hammanskraal. This is a case of playing progressive to hide reactionary practices against its own people. It’s hypocritical political manoeuvring by a party that has lost legitimacy,” Mngxitama said.
Attempts to get comment from the Presidency and the ANC were still unsuccessful by the time of going to print. | The Star
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