PRESS RELEASE: Prohibiting use of term ‘Migrant’ unconstitutional and outrageous, says Referendum Party (RP)

Prohibiting use of term ‘Migrant’ unconstitutional and outrageous, says Referendum Party (RP)

(Afrikaans version below)

The removal of Cape Independence Party leader Jack Miller from the City of Cape Town Council chambers was an outrageous and egregious display of destructive political correctness by DA speaker, Felicity Purchase. Conduct such as this must have no place in a non-racial constitutional democracy.

Non-racialism, which is a founding provision of the South African Constitution, is a two-way street. When genuinely implemented, it self-evidently requires that an individual’s race is neither used to advantage nor disadvantage them. This is not the case in South Africa where the government actively implements race-based policy, and the courts have determined that, when it comes to free speech, there is one rule for some races, and a different rule for the rest. This was precisely the issue which led to President Ramaphosa’s White House humiliation when President Trump questioned how Julius Malema could possibly be allowed to repeatedly incite racial hatred without consequence. In South Africa, only a black person could get away with making such vile comments.

Jack Miller was removed for referring to ‘economic migrants’ coming from the Eastern Cape, whilst appealing for historical residents of the Sir Lowry’s Pass area not to be passed over for housing and employment in favour of recently arrived migrants. There is absolutely nothing untrue, unreasonable, or racist in any of these remarks. In truth, fair-minded people of all races should agree with them.

The problem is that this is South Africa, where white people whose forefathers arrived in 1652 and legally settled here are derogatorily referred to as ‘settlers’, which is deemed totally acceptable, whilst black people who legally migrate to the Western Cape in 2025, but where many of them have illegally settled land, cannot be referred to as ‘migrants’. 

Non-racialism is a laudable and necessary provision of our Constitution, and must apply equally to all, without exception. South Africa belongs to us all, regardless of our race.

The RP is in the process of submitting a Non-racialism Bill to the national parliament, and will soon be submitting an Illegal Settlements Bill to the Western Cape Parliament.

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‍Verbod op gebruik van die term ‘migrant’ is ongrondwetlik en skokkend, sê die Referendum Party (RP)

Die verwydering van die Kaapse Onafhanklikheidsparty-leier, Jack Miller, uit die Kaapstadse stadsraad se raadsaal was ’n skokkende en buitensporige uiting van destruktiewe politieke korrektheid deur DA-raadvoorsitter Felicity Purchase. Optrede soos hierdie hoort geen plek te hê in ’n nierassige grondwetlike demokrasie nie.

Nie-rassigheid, wat ’n grondbeginsel van die Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet is, is ’n tweerigtingpad. Wanneer dit eg geïmplementeer word, vereis dit vanselfsprekend dat ’n individu se ras nie gebruik mag word om hulle te bevoordeel of te benadeel nie. Dit is egter nie die geval in Suid-Afrika nie, waar die regering aktief rassegebaseerde beleid toepas, en waar die howe bevind het dat daar, wat vryheid van spraak betref, een reël vir sekere rasse is, en ’n ander reël vir die res. Dit was juis hierdie kwessie wat gelei het tot president Ramaphosa se vernedering by die Withuis, toe president Trump bevraagteken het hoe Julius Malema herhaaldelik rassehaat kan aanhits sonder enige gevolge. In Suid-Afrika is dit net ’n swart persoon wat daarmee kan wegkom om sulke walglike opmerkings te maak.

Jack Miller is verwyder omdat hy verwys het na ‘ekonomiese migrante’ wat uit die Oos-Kaap kom, terwyl hy gepleit het dat historiese inwoners van die Sir Lowry’s Pass-omgewing nie oor die hoof gesien moet word vir behuising en werkgeleenthede ten gunste van pas-aangekome migrante nie. Daar is absoluut niks onwaar, onredelik of rassisties in enige van hierdie opmerkings nie. In werklikheid behoort redelike mense van alle rasse daarmee saam te stem.

Die probleem is dat dit Suid-Afrika is, waar blankes wie se voorouers in 1652 hier aangekom en hulle wettig gevestig het, neerhalend as ‘setlaars’ beskryf word — iets wat as heeltemal aanvaarbaar beskou word — terwyl swart mense wat wettiglik in 2025 na die Wes-Kaap migreer, maar waarvan baie onwettig grond beset het, nie as ‘migrante’ beskryf mag word nie.

Nie-rassigheid is ’n lofwaardige en noodsaaklike beginsel van ons Grondwet, en dit moet sonder uitsondering op almal gelyk toegepas word. Suid-Afrika behoort aan ons almal, ongeag ons ras.

Die Referendum Party is tans besig om ’n Wetsontwerp op Nie-rassigheid by die nasionale parlement in te dien, en sal binnekort ’n Wetsontwerp oor Onwettige Vestigings aan die Wes-Kaapse Parlement voorlê.

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