ActionSA reports Macpherson to parliament's Ethics Committee for alleged ‘racist' remarks

The Citizen

2 days ago

Macpherson denies claims that ActionSA has placed a target on his back.
ActionSA has reported Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson to the joint standing committee of ethics and members' interests in parliament.
This comes after Macpherson allegedly referred to ActionSA supporters as 'Amaphara' and on a separate occasion as 'hobos'.
This recently happened in Pietermaritzburg, where ActionSA and DA supporters had disagreements about sharing a picketing area during their court challenge against the eThekwini municipality.
In a media statement on Thursday, ActionSA MP Alan Beesley described Macpherson's utterances as 'racist'.
'These terms, directed at a group of predominantly black ActionSA supporters, are not only deeply offensive but, in the context of our country's painful history, cannot be divorced from their racially charged and dehumanising connotations.
'It is unconscionable that a senior party official, member of parliament, and Cabinet minister would resort to such racist and inflammatory rhetoric,' he said.
ActionSA still wants an apology
Beesly said ActionSA had written to Macpherson requesting him to reflect on his utterances and make a public apology, but he had not done so.
'This kind of conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the values enshrined in the constitution and the responsibilities entrusted to elected public officials.
'Despite ActionSA's public call on 28 July 2025 for an immediate apology, Minister Macpherson has refused to retract his remarks or offer any sign of remorse for the harm caused,' he said.
Beesly believes Macpherson had broken several sections of the code of conduct for parliamentarians.
These include section 5 (e), which requires members to 'maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity of parliament,' and section 5(f), which requires members to 'be committed to the eradication of all forms of discrimination'.
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Macpherson denies racism allegations
In a response to The Citizen, Macpherson dismissed the complaints by ActionSA. He described the party as merely seeking attention.
'It's interesting that every time I am fighting corruption or dealing with critical issues in the department, ActionSA is trying to divert attention away from that issue.
'It was in January of this year; they called for me to be suspended after they tried to push claims that I bribed journalists in relation to the exposés being written about the IDT, and now they come up with bogus claims of racism just as we have concluded the investigation into IDT,' he said.
He said ActionSA is just trying to discredit him.
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