Mayor Xaba’s ‘I am speaking to the Africans’ remark sparks political backlash in Durban

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has defended himself after a remark during a meeting at a Durban park drew sharp criticism and calls for a public apology, according to IOL.

What was said

According to IOL, Xaba told a man who attempted to speak to him:

“I am not speaking to you. I am speaking to the Africans.”

Responses from mayoral office and opposition

According to IOL, Xaba’s spokesperson, Mlu Mtungwa, rejected criticism of the mayor’s words and said the man who interjected “was not South African” and had been disruptive. IOL quotes Mtungwa:

“The person was not South African. He was a foreign national who kept interjecting while the mayor was speaking. He was very disruptive and would not allow the mayor to speak. The mayor represents all South Africans in eThekwini and does not differentiate between South Africans based on race, colour or faith. As South Africans, we are one and should not allow others to divide us,” Mtungwa told IOL.

Also quoted by IOL, uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Visvin Reddy said he had spoken to the man and insisted “He is 100% South African.” IOL reports Reddy called on the ANC leadership to act and demand a public apology, saying:

“What we witnessed from Mayor Xaba is a blatant attempt to use identity politics to escape accountability. To tell a citizen that they have no right to speak because they are not ‘African’ is disgusting. It flouts the very foundation of our non-racial democracy. I am calling on the leadership of the ANC to immediately bring this mayor to order and demand a full, unconditional public apology,” Reddy told IOL.

Context at Sherwood Park

IOL reports that the exchange took place at a park in Durban where migrants have been awaiting repatriation. According to IOL, around 7,000 migrants have camped at the park, demanding to be repatriated, and efforts are being stepped up to transport the mainly Malawian migrants from Sherwood Park in Durban back to Malawi.

According to IOL, of those processed on site 1,876 were found to be undocumented or in violation of South Africa’s immigration laws. IOL also reports that the situation remains volatile, with tensions reaching breaking point with sporadic clashes with police.

Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers has been reported by IOL to have stepped in to provide water and other basic necessities to those preparing to depart.

What happens next

The comments and the conflicting accounts of the man’s nationality have prompted public criticism and a demand for an apology, according to IOL. The wider situation at Sherwood Park remains an ongoing operational and political issue, IOL reports.