Cartoon of the day: 12 August 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been called on to take action against Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie after the emergence of social media posts where he used the K-word.
Days after McKenzie expressed outrage against the Open Chats podcast, he has been dragged into his own racism storm.
McKenzie and his party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA), opened a case against the podcast and demanded an apology after the comments they made about coloured people in South Africa.
The EFF, DA, ActionSA and ATM have since accused the minister of double standards.
NOW READ: Gayton McKenzie racism row deepens as string of racist comments threaten national unity
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
27 minutes ago
- IOL News
EFF backs government in rejecting US State Department's human rights report
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo says the US is hypocritical in their report on human rights. Image: File The EFF and the South African government have come together to dismiss the recent United States State Department Human Rights Report, calling out the US for its hypocrisy on human rights issues. The report claimed that South Africa's human rights record has "significantly worsened," and documented several instances of arbitrary or unlawful killings committed by the government or its agents. But both the EFF and government claim this assessment is flawed and biased. It also claimed that the EFF incited violence against Afrikaner farmers, claiming that the party achieved this by reintroducing the contentious song 'Kill the Boer' song at its gatherings and through other acts of incitement. The report said that a provincial police commissioner confirmed in July that police had fatally shot at least 40 criminal suspects in shoot-outs since April. A January report from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) was also referenced. This report detailed the 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which led to 337 deaths and 3,400 arrests. However, both the EFF and the the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) criticised the US report for applying double standard on human rights. The EFF pointed out that the US has a history of using human rights narratives to justify sanctions, isolation, and even military aggression against other nations. "It is the same tactic used in Iraq under the lies of 'weapons of mass destruction', which left over a million people dead while US corporations looted oil fields,' EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said. "The US has no moral standing to lecture any nation on human rights. This is a country that cages migrant children in detention centers; that has rolled back reproductive rights and stripped millions of women of the freedom to control their bodies," The party also criticised the report for selectively presenting incidents of police brutality while ignoring the broader context of South Africa's struggle against violent crime. "These cases, picked from our broader struggle against violent crime, are inflated to serve Washington's narrative that our nation is unfit to govern itself," the EFF said. 'This report was clearly crafted to smear South Africa for daring to assert its sovereignty, reclaim its land, and stand in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of the world, particularly the people of Palestine,' Thambo said. The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation's spokesperson Chrispin Phiri also expressed profound disappointment with the report, describing it as "inaccurate and deeply flawed." Phiri said the report's reliance on contextual information and discredited accounts is highly concerning. "The report cites an incident involving the deaths of farm workers and, despite the matter being actively adjudicated by our independent judiciary, misleadingly presents it as an extrajudicial killing," Phiri explained. The government noted that South Africa operates a transparent system where information is freely available from law enforcement agencies and Chapter 9 institutions, which are constitutionally mandated to protect and advance human rights. The government also noted the irony that the US, having exited the UN Human Rights Council, would seek to produce one-sided fact-free reports without any due process or engagement. "This is particularly striking given the significant and documented concerns about human rights within the United States, including the treatment of refugees and breaches in due process by its agencies, such as ICE," the government said. "In contrast to the US report, the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva has praised South Africa's Land Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as a "critical step in addressing the country's racially imbalanced land ownership". This recognition underscores the integrity of South Africa's legislative processes aimed at rectifying historical injustices in a constitutional and human-rights-based manner,' Phiri said.
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
EFF hits back at US on what SA officials have already written off as a flawed report
JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has hit back at the United States (US) on what South African officials have already written off as a deeply flawed report on the alleged violation of human rights in the country. The US State Department released a slew of human rights reports on Tuesday detailing allegations of wrongdoing by a range of countries. In the 2024 edition, the US said the situation in South Africa worsened during the period since its last review in the previous year. The red berets have taken exception to being singled out by the US in the latest report. On page 2 of the 2024 human rights reports, the US again ties the EFF to what it previously and falsely classified as a genocide of white farmers. Labelling EFF as extremist, the report said the party's use of the anti-apartheid struggle song dubul'ibhunu 'kill the boer' at rallies incites violence, especially encouraging attacks on Afrikaner farmers. In 2022, the Equality Court ruled the anti-apartheid chant can't be considered hate speech - a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal last year - that its lyrics could not be interpreted literally. In a heated response, the EFF has slammed the us for shamelessly positioning itself as a moral authority while engaging in the most grotesque violations of human rights both domestically and abroad. The EFF said the report was crafted to smear South Africa for its domestic policies – including expropriation laws and its stance on Palestine. 'We see this sudden aggression from the United States for what it is: part of a longstanding imperialist playbook. The US First manufactures a narrative of 'human rights violations,' then uses it to justify sanctions, isolation, and even military aggression. It is the same tactic used in Iraq under the lies of 'weapons of mass destruction,' which left over a million people dead while US Corporations looted oil fields." It said Washington's attempt to delegitimise South Africa's government should not be tolerated.
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
South Africa's Opposition Parties Criticise Q2 Jobs Data Amid Unemployment Crisis
concerns about growing number of unemplpyed people in the country Image: Ron Lach/Pexels South Africa's second quarter 2025 jobs data has triggered strong criticism from political parties and organised labour, with calls for urgent economic reforms, job creation programmes, and government accountability. They have all warned that the country's unemployment crisis is worsening in real terms. 'Jobs give dignity and independence, but the current pace of growth is far too slow to make a dent in South Africa's unemployment crisis,' said Free SA spokesperson Reuben Coetzer. 'We cannot pat ourselves on the back for adding 0.3% more jobs when our working-age population is growing at the same rate, or faster. In realterms, we are standing still, while millions remain jobless.' Free SA argued that the Western Cape's recent rise to become the province with the second highest number of employed people, overtaking KwaZulu-Natal, shows the benefits of a more business-friendly environment. 'The Western Cape's example shows that a more business-friendly environment delivers results. Other provinces and national government must take note,' Coetzer said. The group called for reduced policy uncertainty, the removal of unnecessary regulations, reforms to restrictive labour laws, and urgent improvements to infrastructure and services. The DA's spokesperson on Employment and Labour, Michael Bagraim, said the figures show 'the ANC's economic policies are not working and are only driving more and more South Africans into misery.' He added: 'We cannot do the same thing over and over and expect a different result, which is why the DA's plan to turbocharge the economy is so important.' Bagraim said the DA's plan includes cutting bureaucracy and red tape, scrapping 'job-killing race-based legislation,' ensuring electricity security, improving local government functionality, and reducing crime to encourage investment. 'The time for talkshops is long past. The time to take action is now,' he said. FEDUSA said the high unemployment rate was 'a big setback for the country's economy and many households,' warning that it makes life harder for families, increases poverty and inequality, and slows economic growth. The union federation called for more job opportunities, stronger support for small businesses, improved skills training, and policies that encourage investment. 'With the upcoming National Dialogue, FEDUSA demands that it must produce actionable outcomes on employment creation, decent work, and wage progression, written into a national compact with timelines, deliverables, and accountability mechanisms,' the organisation said. While FEDUSA acknowledged the slight rise in the employment rate, it stressed that 'the increase in the official unemployment rate shows that job creation remains a major challenge for South Africa.' ActionSA leader in Parliament Alan Beesley said the GNU had overseen 'almost 350 000' more unemployed people so far in 2025, describing the government as 'hapless' and 'rudderless.' He accused coalition partners of being 'at odds with their coalition partner, the ANC, on virtually every element of their supposed plan to 'save' South Africa's economy.' 'Minister Meth, if not you, then who will take action?' Beesley said, referencing the Minister of Employment and Labour. He also warned that slow growth, which has not exceeded 1% under the GNU, could face further pressure from 'anticipated new US tariffs.' 'For those impacted, this is not just the absence of work but a suffocating darkness that erodes hope, dignity, and self-worth. According to the expanded definition, 12 million South Africans remain trapped in that darkness,' Beesley said.
