The return to Parliament of former EFF and Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama has sparked a revolt among the right-wing section of the country.
Just as Mngxitama was being sworn in, a new petition calling for his removal from Parliament was launched.
On Tuesday, a petition, with more than 3 500 signatures, was started by Concerned Citizens on Charge.org, strongly opposing Mngxitama’s seat in Parliament.
“As deeply concerned citizens, we are raising our voices in strong opposition to the candidacy of Andile Mngxitama for a seat in the South African Parliament.
“Mngxitama’s prior public declarations not only encourage hate speech and racism but more disturbingly, advocate for genocide. Such harmful rhetoric poses a grave threat to the cohesion of our diverse society,” reads part of the petition.
“Andile Mngxitama’s place in our country’s leadership arena is a threat to the values of equality, justice, and reconciliation that South Africa has fought hard to foster. His radical stance, which instigates divisiveness, is not reflective of the ideals we hold dear as a nation.”
Mngxitama was one of the 58 uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) MPs who were sworn in alongside Dr John Hlophe, former finance minister Des van Rooyen, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, and others yesterday.
Speaking to The Star on Wednesday, Mngxitama said he has been made aware of a right-wing petition to have him removed as an MP following his previous utterances of which he was cleared by the Equality Court.
At the time, Mngxitama had suggested on social media that white people were land thieves following the death of four Afrikaner children when a bridge collapsed on them.
“Yes. There is a petition circulating by the right wing. Firstly the right-wing and land thieves are threatened and are panicking due to my return as an MP.
“They know that I, along with other MK Party MPs, will be pushing hard for the return of the land to black people. So, in their panic they are now petitioning for my removal based on previous utterances, which I was cleared of,” he said.
Mngxitama, a former EFF MP and leader of the BLF, has been known for his radical stance on the expropriation of land without compensation and his support for MK Party leader Jacob Zuma during and after his tenure as ANC president.
Following some of his utterances in 2018, the Afrikaner civil rights organisation, AfriForum, instructed its legal team to file court documents to lay a charge of hate speech against him at the Equality Court.
In its quest, AfriForum also requested that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) institute an investigation to criminally prosecute Mngxitama.
He said that following his swearing-in as an MK Party MP, he is not surprised by the latest move.
“We expected that as they are trying to use previous utterances which I was cleared of by the Equality Court. I was merely responding to Johann Rupert when he said he has an army in the taxi industry.
“At the time, we were warning him and the court cleared me of any hate speech. All I was trying to articulate was that we as black people too have a right to defend ourselves,” he said.
Early this month, a similar issue of racism grabbed public attention after old videos of suspended DA MP Renaldo Gouws resurfaced.
In the videos, Gouws can be heard spewing hate speech against black South Africans. Petitions for both Gouws and Mngxitama to be dismissed from Parliament have been circulating.
Furthermore, the Concerned Citizens have called on the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to take action against Mngxitama for his actions.
“We call on the South African Human Rights Commission to challenge Andile Mngxitama's public remarks in the Constitutional Court,” the citizens said.
Meanwhile, there’s a counter-petition started by Umhlaba Wethu on Change.org to protect Mngxitama from what they describe as “persecution by racists”.
Umhlaba Wethu said this attack on Mngxitama was an example of how racists worldwide disregard black lives and undermine the efforts of any persons who pursue redress.
There’s also a campaign started by Matthew Dickson on BackaBuddy to raise funds to help Gouws fight legal battles against SAHRC.