Presidency dismisses Solidarity's latest 'race campaign' as insignificant, mindless

THE Presidency has labelled Solidarity a “tiny right-wing minority”, saying the organisation’s campaign ahead of the G20 Leader's Summit  was “unimportant and mindless".

By yesterday large-scale billboards and banners with "Welcome to the most race-regulated country in the world' appeared on some of Johannesburg's main roads.  

Solidarity said their campaign was designed to coincide with the high-profile summit, aiming to leverage the global spotlight on South Africa to highlight issues of racial injustice, economic decline, and governance failures.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, dismissed Solidarity’s actions as the work of a “tiny right-wing minority” and described the campaign as “unimportant and mindless".

However, Solidarity said  it would also directly engage with the embassies of G20 countries. 

Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), responded to Magwenya’s comments, stating, “Unfortunately, this is necessary. 

"The eyes of the world are currently on South Africa and the South African government, whose actions are increasingly under suspicion worldwide.”

Mulder emphasised the timing of the campaign, stating, “The G20 summit is here, and cosmetic resurfacing of Gauteng’s main routes is not going to cover up the bigger cracks in our society. In addition to the municipal decline, there is still corruption, unemployment and poverty, and of course the fact that South Africa is the most racially regulated country in the world.”

The union’s actions particularly focus on claims of racial injustice, which they argue significantly impacts the labour market and contributes to the country’s economic woes.

Solidarity is among the groups behind disputed claims that white South Africans farmers were being targeted, a claim that US President Donald Trump continues to use in his attempts to further strain relations between the two countries.  

In his latest attack last week, Trump said    he will not attend the   summit, accusing South Africa of “going in the wrong direction”. He suggested the country’s domestic and foreign policies had undermined its standing among major economies.

 mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za