Ramaphosa Warns Against Racism Following Free State Pool Incident

President Cyril Ramaphosa says racism has no place in South Africa and racists must expect harsh consequences in terms of the law.

The President commended the South African Police Service for opening dockets and launching investigations into a reported case of suspected racism at a Free State holiday resort swimming pool on Christmas Day.

The complaint entails an alleged assault – widely accessible for viewing on social media platforms – on black teenage boys by white adults who appear to argue that the boys are not allowed in a swimming pool reserved for white users.

President Ramaphosa said: “Our Constitution means exactly what it says when it declares that South Africa – and that means all of South Africa – belongs to all who live in it.

“As black and white South Africans, we should be united in condemning all manifestations of racism and attempts to explain or defend such crimes. Racism is not a problem to be fought by black South Africans only.

“We must also be united in ridding our society of the violence we see in the videos of the incident at the Free State resort, whether such violence comes with racism or not.

“It is deplorable that adults dealing with teenagers resort to violence with such disturbing ease, hurting people physically and offending provisions in our Bill of Rights around security of the person, including the right to dignity and being free of violence.

“Under the rule of law, we must let investigations take their course but under the rule of law we can and must also declare that racism has no place in our society and racists have no place to hide.

“We must defend our continuing national mission of ridding our society of the divisions and the hurts of our past.”

SATSA CONDEMNS ALLEGED CHRISTMAS DAY RACISM AT MASELSPOORT

SATSA, the voice of inbound tourism, has thrown its weight behind the statement issued by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), vehemently condemning the reported racist attack against guests at Maselspoort Resort on Christmas Day.

This follows the circulating of a video on social media showing a group of black teenagers being attacked by white adults at a swimming pool at the Free State resort. The police are currently investigating a case of assault.

“We all have an acute responsibility to uphold the rights held sacred in our Constitution and create business cultures that unequivocally reject and condemn racist behaviour of any kind,” says SATSA co-chair Oupa Pilane.

Through the association’s Access, Inclusivity and Diversity (AID) initiative and its Code of Conduct, SATSA supports and actively promotes equality and the deconstruction of racist policies and practices within the tourism sector ensuring that it is one that celebrates diversity, equality and inclusivity – and is indeed one that welcomes guests of all races, age, gender, religious beliefs and sexual orientation.

“This kind of incident undermines the efforts of South Africans who are working daily to promote cultural diversity, sensitisation and reconciliation. We cannot allow this kind of abhorrent behaviour to go unpunished and trust that the police will expedite their investigations to ascertain the full facts and prosecute accordingly.

“Further let this be a warning to stakeholders in the tourism sector to remain vigilant always. As tourism professionals and establishments, we are the first line of protection for South Africa’s brand and must always demonstrate an exemplary vision of the Rainbow nation,” Pilane concludes.