DA axes councillor over racist email

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intel8080

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Sure, he had a jab a Zuma's low IQ but where does racism come into play?
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/da-axes-councillor-over-racist-email-1.1561782

East London - The Democratic Alliance on Tuesday stripped Nelson Mandela Bay Metro councillor Stanford Slabbert of his party membership.

“The DA has concluded a comprehensive disciplinary process whereby charges were laid against councillor Stanford Slabbert for the circulation of an offensive and racist email,” DA provincial leader Athol Trollip said in a statement on Tuesday.

This followed a disciplinary hearing that found Slabbert guilty of circulating a racist email about President Jacob Zuma.

Slabbert sent an email saying Zuma had more wives than brain cells. The email also slammed the African National Congress for producing “dumb idiots who wait for handouts”.

The email said Zuma had led a country where a quarter of schoolgirls were HIV-positive because South Africans had “spread the disease more than anyone else in the world”.

Trollip said the hearing was attended by Slabbert and the legal representative defending him, with the DA providing a prosecution and a disciplinary hearing panel.

The recommendation by the provincial disciplinary council was that Slabbert's party membership be terminated after he was found guilty of contravening certain clauses in the DA's federal constitution.

According to the party's federal constitution, any member including a public representative, is guilty of misconduct if he or she fails to carry out his or her duties or responsibilities according to standards set by the federal council.

Trollipsaid: “The actions by Mr Slabbert are contrary to the values of the DA and are condemned in the strongest manner.”

The hearing panel found the content of the email to be divisive, insensitive and containing statements that can be classified as racial stereotyping and racist by nature.

“The forwarding of the email by Mr Slabbert brought the name of the party into disrepute and did not reflect it as being a non-racial party for all voters who subscribe to its principles and values,” said Trollip.

Sapa
 
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In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell
 
This is disappointing, frankly. Sanction is understandable given the circumstances, but 'axing' because of 'racism'?! Not justified, unless the mail contained something more damning that wasn't published. Poor showing by the DA as far as I'm concerned.
 
slammed the African National Congress for producing “dumb idiots who wait for handouts”
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Zuma had more wives than brain cells
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Zuma had led a country where a quarter of schoolgirls were HIV-positive because South Africans had “spread the disease more than anyone else in the world”
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I'm not sure how that can be interpreted as not racist in this context. All valid and 100% but why frame your argument using racial stereotype?

Why not just say that Zuma is of substandard intelligent and leave it at that instead of framing it together with the African culture of polygomy? Why refer to the voters that you allegedly expect to vote for you as "dumb idiots" :confused: This is the same attitude of too many DA supporters and is the exact reason the party is a failure, which is a crying shame because there are actually so many competent people in the DA who could make a huge difference if put in power.
 
I'm glad he got fired, we don't need those types of mentalities in politics.
 
AlmightyBender said:
I'm not sure how that can be interpreted as not racist in this context. All valid and 100% but why frame your argument using racial stereotype?

Why not just say that Zuma is of substandard intelligent and leave it at that instead of framing it together with the African culture of polygomy? Why refer to the voters that you allegedly expect to vote for you as "dumb idiots" :confused: This is the same attitude of too many DA supporters and is the exact reason the party is a failure, which is a crying shame because there are actually so many competent people in the DA who could make a huge difference if put in power.
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+1

The DA dealt with him in much the way FHM dealt with the writers. you cannot defend one and not the other
 
Any more racist than the normal ANC and ANCYL utter in the media?
 
Yes, but where is the racism in it all? None of this points refer to blacks in particular.
 
AlmightyBender said:
Not at all. Exactly the same. Still doesn't make it ok. But that is the difference between the DA and the ANC: if you er in public there will be consequences
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Yeah, I really don't care what the ANC / YL say, it's who I vote for that I do care about.
 
Fudzy said:
I'm glad he got fired, we don't need those types of mentalities in politics.
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Unfortunately "those types of mentalities" seems to be a prerequisite for anyone, on any side of the political spectrum, and in any country, who aspires to become a politician.
 
I think it was more a political move. DA had no choice. Not with the general election less then a year away.
 
HapticSimian said:
This is disappointing, frankly. Sanction is understandable given the circumstances, but 'axing' because of 'racism'?! Not justified, unless the mail contained something more damning that wasn't published. Poor showing by the DA as far as I'm concerned.
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The DA have a pretty strict policy on this. Unfortunately 47% of South Africans think that the DA will bring back Apartheid so our biggest fight is against racist perception. We are trying to save our country. Every Time a DA person is held up for some or other racists accusation the ANC turns around to the population and says, "you see, we told you they were a party of racists".

Its made abundantly clear to public representatives that under no circumstances are you allowed to be racist. Not even in jest. Even if the person you are doing it to finds it funny and accepts it. Its a "hangable offense". So people in the DA know thats the limit. If you are going to push those limits then you must expect the consequences.

I understand to outsiders this might look harsh but its necessary. DA public representatives have to be held to a higher level of accountability than a normal person. Especially around race issues which is the biggest issue holding back voters.
 
ghoti said:
The DA have a pretty strict policy on this. Unfortunately 47% of South Africans think that the DA will bring back Apartheid so our biggest fight is against racist perception. We are trying to save our country. Every Time a DA person is held up for some or other racists accusation the ANC turns around to the population and says, "you see, we told you they were a party of racists".

Its made abundantly clear to public representatives that under no circumstances are you allowed to be racist. Not even in jest. Even if the person you are doing it to finds it funny and accepts it. Its a "hangable offense". So people in the DA know thats the limit. If you are going to push those limits then you must expect the consequences.

I understand to outsiders this might look harsh but its necessary. DA public representatives have to be held to a higher level of accountability than a normal person. Especially around race issues which is the biggest issue holding back voters.
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All that is perfectly reasonable given the milieu of South African politics. I'm merely contending that to call what was said out-and-out racism, is for the DA to appear a bunch of politically correct, spineless ninnies in this instance.
 
HapticSimian said:
All that is perfectly reasonable given the milieu of South African politics. I'm merely contending that to call what was said out-and-out racism, is for the DA to appear a bunch of politically correct, spineless ninnies in this instance.
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Agree. No principles, driven by perception. Who in their right mind would vote for that? Idiots?
 
Albereth said:
Agree. No principles, driven by perception. Who in their right mind would vote for that? Idiots?
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Well, me for one. I feel quite strongly that every able-bodied person has an obligation to his or her fellow citizens to vote, and the DA would need to act a lot more daftly a lot more often to not be the only at all reasonable option.
 
HapticSimian said:
All that is perfectly reasonable given the milieu of South African politics. I'm merely contending that to call what was said out-and-out racism, is for the DA to appear a bunch of politically correct, spineless ninnies in this instance.
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If they were not fighting for the future of our country Im sure they would have time to be unpolitically correct to appease those who dont like it.
 
ghoti said:
If they were not fighting for the future of our country Im sure they would have time to be unpolitically correct to appease those who dont like it.
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Chill, charna; there be no reason to hop to dame Zille's defence. Thinking about it at a push I'd even agree that his axing was probably the right course of action, but I just would have wished they didn't stick the 'racism' label on the episode. Call it 'divisive' or 'counter-productive' or 'not aligned with party policy' or whatever else, but in my mind the DA should be fighting against crying RACISM at the drop of a hat, not perpetuating the practice.
 
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