06 March 2008
The leader of the African National Congress (ANC), Jacob Zuma, has told a gathering of South African Jewish leaders that racism was still a major problem in South Africa, referring to an incident at the University of the Free State where four white students filmed black university employees on their knees eating food which had apparently been urinated on. The short film depicts a mock initiation of the five black staff members into hostel activities and refers openly to opposition to the university’s integration policy for campus residences announced in 2007.
The ANC leader was delivering a speech at a forum in Johannesburg hosted by the chief rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein. Along with Nelson Mandela, Zuma was imprisoned on Robben Island for 10 years before going into exile in neighboring states. He defeated South African president Thabo Mbeki in the race to lead the African National Congress in December 2007 and is likely to become South Africa’s president in 2009 if he defeats corruption charges in a trial that starts in August.
Zuma paid tribute to a number of Jewish leaders for their role in the fight against apartheid: “Very early on in our liberation struggle many white compatriots joined the growing ranks of the oppressed people in the struggle against apartheid," he said, adding: “Many of these white compatriots were Jewish. They were horrified by the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis. They knew what human suffering meant, and swore to fight the scourge of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, wherever it was found."
“The future of South Africa is a non-racial and non-racist one, and we cannot allow anyone to jeopardize what we have achieved,” the ANC leader said.
