Race classifications won't fix the injustices of the past, De Klerk Foundation tells Ramaphosa
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa's clarifying of government's position on race-based terminology in official records has ignited debate over the country's progress in redressing the injustices of the past.
He said that while the long-term goal was to create a society where people were not divided by historical race, the use of such classifications remained a difficult but necessary part of the country's transition from its apartheid past to a future of equality.
The President was responding to questions from members of the National Assembly, particularly the Patriotic Alliance's Marlon Daniels, who asked why coloured, Indian, Khoisan and white people were not classified as African.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, the FW de Klerk Foundation said Ramaphosa's utterances in Parliament raised questions about his commitment to the National Constitution's vision of a non-racial society.
'The continued use of race classification in various laws promulgated over time, serves no purpose other than using it for political patronage and electoral support purposes,' the foundation said.
'The outcome of chasing ethnic or racial targets at the expense of expertise has had disastrous consequences at all levels of government, state-owned enterprises, and especially on service delivery at municipal level, in schools, hospitals and so many other public institutions,' it added.
'And it is the poorest of the poor, the black majority, that suffers.'
Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, said that alternative ways of overcoming the legacies of the past should be explored, and that government should devise a new system balancing the need for redress with merit.
He suggested using a diverse and data-driven range of instruments to determine the social status of citizens. Government should also prioritise mentoring and learnership programs that primarily target economically and educationally disadvantaged people.
Furthermore, skills, expertise, and the ability to deliver should be the determining factors in appointing people to critical government positions.
'Reverting back to outdated, divisive and humiliating race-classifications and the use of employment equity targets do not help at all to overcome the injustices of the past. In fact, the past thirty years have proved that such blunt instruments do more harm than good,' Van der Rheede said.
'Any society that builds a future on ethnicity or skin colour is doomed to fail.'
He added that the country was currently bleeding talent, which if leveraged, could have greatly contributed to overcoming the legacies of the past.
In Parliament, Ramaphosa said that until South Africa had reached its goal of equality for all people, there would be circumstances when we need to use such terminology.
He said the country's national statistics agency, Stats SA, continues to use racial categories such as Black African, Coloured, Indian/Asian, and White in the census and other reporting.
'Our responsibility is to ensure that these terms ultimately make the differences they refer to less and less important, until they are rendered meaningless and no longer serve any purpose,' Ramaphosa said. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ A Shift in Foreign Policy At the heart of the growing rift is South Africa's vocal and consistent defence of Palestine. Pretoria has become one of the strongest international voices condemning Israel's war on Palestinians, and this has not gone unnoticed in Washington. 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In June, IOL reported that President Ramaphosa released a cautious statement calling for dialogue and a peaceful resolution to rising geopolitical tensions. His remarks highlighted South Africa's sensitive diplomatic position, balancing its longstanding relationship with Iran and its vocal criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. 'President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government have noted with a great deal of anxiety the entry by the United States of America into the Israel-Iran war," the statement read. 'It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute. 'South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity,' the statement reads. Local ANC Leaders Under Scrutiny Gwede Mantashe, serving as both ANC National Chairperson and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, is among those who could come under scrutiny. He was named in the Zondo Commission report, which linked him to alleged corrupt dealings with the now-defunct facilities company Bosasa. The report detailed claims that Mantashe received illicit security upgrades at his properties, allegations he has consistently denied, but which continue to cast a shadow over his political standing. Nomvula Mokonyane, ANC First Deputy Secretary-General and former Minister of Environmental Affairs, also appears to be in Washington's sights. Her alleged involvement in the Bosasa corruption scandal remains a point of concern, but it is her recent proposal to rename Sandton Drive, where the U.S. Consulate is located, to 'Leila Khaled Drive' that has drawn international attention. Khaled, a Palestinian militant associated with plane hijackings and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S., has made Mokonyane's comments especially controversial, sparking widespread outrage and potentially deepening the diplomatic rift. Then there is Dr. Naledi Pandor, South Africa's former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, who has emerged as a central figure in the foreign policy debate. Her vocal defence of South Africa's position on Israel, along with continued diplomatic engagement with Iran and Hamas, has made her a lightning rod for criticism. U.S. lawmakers have accused Pandor of steering South Africa toward increasingly adversarial alliances, arguing that her actions are undermining the country's longstanding relationship with the West. Ibrahim Rasool, former South African Ambassador to the United States, has also come under scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers. Known for his outspoken criticism of U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding the Middle East and Israel, Rasool has often been at odds with American diplomats. His influential role in shaping the ANC's foreign policy during the Obama administration is now being reexamined amid Washington's broader review of its diplomatic relationship with South Africa. ANC Pushback The ANC's response has been one of defiance, with ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula condemning the bill as an 'attack on our sovereignty.' Mbalula has warned that the proposed sanctions are part of a broader U.S. effort to undermine South Africa's political independence and foreign policy decisions. "There is no justification for sanctions against our leaders simply for standing up for what we believe is right, especially on the issue of Palestine," Mbalula said in a statement. While the US sanctions bill may pass into law, it is far from certain that the Trump administration will take immediate action. Joel Pollak, a former senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, suggested that the sanctions would likely be targeted at individuals deemed to be responsible for actions that go against U.S. interests. 'The Magnitsky Act is about holding people accountable for undermining democracy and supporting corrupt practices. This is not an attempt to punish South Africa, but to target those who undermine key democratic norms,' Pollak said. As the U.S. Congress moves closer to passing the bill, South Africa faces a crossroads in its relationship with the United States. Should the sanctions go ahead, it will signal a significant shift in South Africa's international standing, particularly with the U.S., and potentially mark the beginning of a new phase in its foreign policy, where its support for Palestine and criticism of Western powers takes centre stage. The Star