Latest news with #BlackAfrican
IOL News
6 days ago
- IOL News
Beaufort West incident highlights racial tensions faced by black students
A racist confrontation in Beaufort West has highlighted the experiences of black students in the town. Image: X A racist confrontation in Beaufort West has highlighted the experiences of black students in the town. In the latest incident, captured on video, female Black African students were allegedly confronted by two white males near their residence after visiting a food outlet on Monday. One of the white males sprays a liquid, which is understood to be water from a spray can, and chases a student while hurling racial slurs, 'I will remove your blackness, I will change you.' The videos of the incident were shared on social media, where the man can be seen running after the student and in another, he is attempting to enter their residency with the water can. A third video shows angry community members confronting the man, who is a neighbour of the women, outside of his home. Words were exchanged and the man claimed he had anointed the water while the residents stated it was laced with chemicals. A case was opened with police and the Cape Argus awaits a response on this. EFF provincial treasurer and MP, Aishah Cassiem, said counter cases were made by the man and the women, along with those from the community. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading WATCH: A Beaufort West Racist torturing black EFF students in their female student complex | Racist : 'I will remove your blackness ' 25 May 2025 😳😳😳 — Aishah Cassiem (@CassiemAishah) May 27, 2025 It is understood that the women's case was closed due to a lack of evidence and police have yet to confirm this and why. Cassiem said the EFF they would continue to seek justice. "These are incidents that many black students experience in their residence across the country, especially in communities occupied by white racists, who continue such actions, as a result of not being held accountable. 'The EFF will never allow for such a case to be swept under the carpet and will make sure those responsible for ensuring the safety of these young girls do so, especially when they are running to the police or courts for protection. We will not step back until justice has been served." Cassiem said that according to the students they left their home to purchase food at a nearby take away on Monday night. 'They said there were two men involved (who are neighbors). The one stormed their student residence, invading the space of young girls who were in pajamas, and half naked as seen in the video, while the other tortured them in the street, shouting 'I will erase your blackness' as seen in the video,' she added. "It is understood that the students opened a case with Beaufort West Police Station immediately and were told two days later the case has been closed. One of the men involved has been arrested and appeared in court this morning. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. 'He had also opened a case against angry residents who showed up at his house after the incident circulated on social media." Beaufort West Mayor Sias Reynolds took to his Facebook account where he expressed concerns about the incident. 'This whole incident saddens me immensely. Then, showing how racial issues can be so easily misused by individuals to spike racial tension on social media, only worsens the situation.' Cape Argus
IOL News
7 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Race-based labels remain painful but necessary
President Ramaphosa said the continued use of race-based terminology remains essential for tracking the country's progress. Image: GCIS President Cyril Ramaphosa said the continued use of race-based terminology in official records remains a difficult but necessary part of South Africa's transition from its apartheid past to a future of equality. Ramaphosa was responding to questions from Members of the National Assembly, with economic growth and the cost of living among issues for deliberation Tuesday afternoon. He acknowledged the discomfort many South Africans feel when confronted with racial classifications still used in national surveys and statistical reports. 'The use of race-based terminology will always be difficult for a country like ours to accept, especially as we work to put behind us the racial injustices of the past,' Ramaphosa said. According to Ramaphosa, 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. He said that, while problematic, the continued use of these terms remains essential for tracking the country's progress in addressing historical and structural inequality. 'Until we have reached our goal of equality for all people in our country, there will be circumstances when we need to use such terminology,' Ramaphosa said. '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.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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 ✕ Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of seeing racial classifications not as permanent identifiers, but as tools to understand and dismantle inequality. 'We are, as you would say, on a journey, a journey away from the shadow of our horrible past, a past that defined us as separate groups and separate entities,' he said. He added that the long-term goal is a South Africa where people are not divided by labels or historical classifications. 'What is important is that we stop seeing ourselves through definitions meant to divide us,' Ramaphosa said. 'We must rid ourselves of those divisions over time.' However, Ramaphosa expressed confidence in the nation's progress. 'It will take time,' he said. 'But we are definitely on the journey toward a more united and equal society." Cape Times
IOL News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa: Race-based labels remain painful but necessary in South Africa's pursuit of equality
President Ramaphosa said the continued use of race-based terminology remains essential for tracking the country's progress. Image: GCIS President Cyril Ramaphosa said the continued use of race-based terminology in official records remains a difficult but necessary part of South Africa's transition from its apartheid past to a future of equality. Ramaphosa was responding to questions from Members of the National Assembly, with economic growth and the cost of living among issues for deliberation on Tuesday afternoon. He acknowledged the discomfort many South Africans feel when confronted with racial classifications still used in national surveys and statistical reports. 'The use of race-based terminology will always be difficult for a country like ours to accept, especially as we work to put behind us the racial injustices of the past,' Ramaphosa said. According to Ramaphosa, 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. He said that, while problematic, the continued use of these terms remains essential for tracking the country's progress in addressing historical and structural inequality. 'Until we have reached our goal of equality for all people in our country, there will be circumstances when we need to use such terminology,' Ramaphosa said. '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.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of seeing racial classifications not as permanent identifiers, but as tools to understand and dismantle inequality. 'We are, as you would say, on a journey, a journey away from the shadow of our horrible past, a past that defined us as separate groups and separate entities,' he said. He added that the long-term goal is a South Africa where people are not divided by labels or historical classifications. 'What is important is that we stop seeing ourselves through definitions meant to divide us,' Ramaphosa said. 'We must rid ourselves of those divisions over time.' However, Ramaphosa expressed confidence in the nation's progress. 'It will take time,' he said. 'But we are definitely on the journey toward a more united and equal society. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel IOL Politics
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Tale of two cities: A mirror to black African governance
South Africa - Johannesburg - 20 February 2024 - City of Joburg MMC for transport, Kenny Kunene alongside Joburg Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda led the launch of the rehabilitation programme of Lillian Ngoyi Street following last July's gas explosion. Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers CAPE Town and Johannesburg — two cities, one nation, and a tale that mirrors both the triumph and tragedy of Black African governance. Between April 20 and May 1, I returned to South Africa after nearly a decade away. My last visit to Johannesburg was in 2015, and to Cape Town in 2018. Time had passed, but what I saw on this trip offered clarity that was impossible to ignore. The contrast between these two cities had become stark—no longer a quiet divergence, but a deafening indictment. I landed to find a city alive with order and promise: sleek highways, clean streets, efficient transport, bustling malls, and neighbourhoods that radiate security and quiet dignity. Even Stellenbosch, once a fortress of white privilege, now shows signs of transformation. Today, black and coloured South Africans walk its leafy lanes not just as workers, but as homeowners, professionals, and patrons. Yes, Cape Town has its wounds. Racism lingers in its shadows. Homelessness is rising. Homicide rates remain troubling. But beneath these flaws lies something rare on this continent: competence. The city delivers. Water flows. Lights stay on. The streets are swept. Hope is tangible. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Then I went to Johannesburg. The city where I once lived, built my business, made lifelong friends, and planted the roots of my career. And yet, as I left OR Tambo Airport, disappointment clutched my chest. The cleanliness once emblematic of a world-class terminal had vanished. The facility, built for the 2010 World Cup, looked tired and neglected. The first pothole on the N1 wasn't just physical — it was metaphorical. My driver put it bluntly: 'Johannesburg is in decline. You've been away too long.' He was right. Traffic lights didn't work. Roads were collapsing. Hyde Park — once among Africa's most elite suburbs — looked worn and weary, pockmarked with potholes. Water shortages are now routine. Electricity blackouts are expected. This wasn't mere decline — it was governance failure. It was the slow, painful unravelling of a city once full of promise. Cape Town is run by the DA, a party largely led by white South Africans. Johannesburg is governed by the African National Congress (ANC), a black-led party. They share a national budget, an economy, and a history. But they do not share outcomes. This isn't merely about political parties — it's about us. About black leadership. About how we govern. Why does failure so often accompany us in office? Why is delivering the basics — water, lights, roads — a herculean task? We proudly repeat Kwame Nkrumah's words: 'The Black man is capable of managing his own affairs.' But capability must be proven. And today, we must ask: Have we confused liberation with leadership? Identity with effectiveness? Symbolism with service? But our cities remain shackled — this time by mismanagement, greed, tribalism, and hollow rhetoric. Competence is displaced by incompetence. Institutions crumble as the least capable rise—chosen not for their skill, but for their obedience. Our halls of power echo with the howls of hyenas feeding on the carcass of the state. And yet, we are not short of capable Black professionals. What we lack is the will — leaders who choose merit over mediocrity, nation over self, service over networks of nepotism. This is not about race — it's about results. Not about whiteness, but about seriousness. The lesson is clear. Cape Town shows us what is possible. Johannesburg shows us what is broken. Liberation and struggle politics are over. The new battle is for efficiency, vision, and service. Our youth no longer care who fought for freedom. They care who will fix the roads, keep the lights on, and build a future. Africa stands at a crossroads. Either we rise or we rot. The divide between Cape Town and Johannesburg is not just urban—it's moral. It is a question of responsibility. Of leadership that delivers—not just dreams, but results. We must confront the truth. We must cast off excuses. We must choose standards over sentiment.
Business Mayor
18-05-2025
- Health
- Business Mayor
Doctor criticises ‘lightweight' assessment of impact of assisted dying
Ministers have not adequately considered how assisted dying would affect disadvantaged communities, a palliative care doctor and clinical academic has said. Bradford-based Jamilla Hussain said the equality impact assessment for the assisted dying bill was 'lightweight', and her own research had highlighted concerns that had not been reflected in the document. Published earlier this month, the assessment said in its conclusion: 'Government is neutral on this bill, however, has offered technical support on workability. 'If it is the will of parliament that this bill becomes law, government will ensure that it is implemented in such a way that attempts to mitigate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and manage any equality issues that may arise.' Hussain said: 'I'm not against [assisted dying] in principle at all. I'm one of the few palliative care consultants who leans pro.' But she said the impact of the legislation on minority communities had not been adequately considered. 'This bill has done so little scrutiny of what the impact is going to be on these vulnerable groups' she said. 'They just keep saying time and time again, we've got to trust doctors. But we know from patient safety data across the life course, that is not a good enough safeguard.' Hussain, who also gave evidence on the issue in parliament, has run three consultations with communities in the most disadvantaged areas of Bradford, the first of which worked with 98 people from minority ethnic communities, asking their thoughts around the bill. 'It wasn't that they were saying, 'Oh, well, for religious reasons, we'd be against it and therefore we'd be safe', which is what proponents of the bill suggest,' Hussain said. 'The first thing they said is, 'We're scared. We're scared this is going to affect us disproportionately. Just like in Covid.' 'There's nothing in the impact assessment saying we need to mitigate against this and how. It won't just be racialised groups,' she added. 'It'll be disabled people who are also really scared, and the elderly. We need to assess unintended consequences carefully.' Members of one consultation group – containing women from Black African, Black Caribbean, Pakistani and Roma backgrounds, who had all experienced domestic abuse, and all knew other women who had – were asked for their experiences in how domestic abuse may manifest in the last six months of life. One woman said: 'My mother-in-law couldn't physically get up … her legs, they were paralysed … he left her on the sofa in her own waste. 'She fell to the floor. He dragged her across the floor and kept shouting at her to get up. They had a hoist … but he said she has to get up and move herself. She was helpless … from then on I made sure I was always there.' Another woman said of a different case: 'She asked for water and he wouldn't give it. He drank a full glass in front of her. Her daughter used to leave it [water] out before she went to school. 'One day, she forgot, and it was really sunny, she became very unwell after that.' Hussain's research found that the women were concerned abusive men may put pressure on their partners over assisted dying, and they feared some men may do so in order to 'move on to a new wife'. Read More Millions of cat owners could be forced to microchip pets 'The biggest risk these women foresee is that assisted dying would be seen as the only way out for the women experiencing domestic abuse at the end of life,' Hussain said. In another consultation, parents of young people who are autistic, or who have a learning disability, said they were concerned about ableism in how the law would be implemented, and also about the use of independent advocates. 'I am deeply concerned about the provision that there is no requirement to inform family or next of kin until after the assisted death has occurred,' Hussain said. 'This could result in devastating outcomes for families who are excluded from a process that their loved one may not have fully understood or been able to navigate independently.' Hussain has said that assisted dying legislation must 'not shift the risk of bad deaths to much larger and more vulnerable groups of people'. 'The Equality and Human Rights Commission state that when there are evidence gaps for particular groups, consultation and engagement with those groups is essential to understand their experience and needs,' she said. 'And that lack of evidence should never be used as a justification for no action. 'And they haven't done any of that. It's really lightweight.'
