‘Enough is enough’ say fuming DA councillors over hostile slurs

Democratic Alliance (DA) councillors in the City of Johannesburg have taken umbrage at the constant barrage of antisemitic and other discriminatory, offensive, and snide remarks allowed to flourish during council meetings, and have raised their concerns.

“Enough is enough,” say councillors, sick, tired, and saddened by the level of toxic disdain displayed by councillors from opposition parties, and have accused Speaker Colleen Makhubele of allowing this culture to blossom.

“It’s extremely concerning,” said DA Councillor Daniel Schay referring to the proliferation of “racist, sexist, homophobic, and antisemitic” utterances.

He said he had been called “the man in the hat” alluding to his yarmulke. He said he was rudely interrupted last week by a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) during the delivery of a speech in which he was talking about land invasions in Eldorado Park.

“The councillor interrupted saying, ‘The whites invaded South Africa, and the Jews invaded Palestine.’”

The councillors say that under the leadership of Makhubele, “a culture of prejudice and discrimination” has been allowed to take root in the chamber.

A letter of concern has been addressed to Makhubele, calling on her to reject any form of discrimination.

The letter is still in circulation awaiting further signatures before being sent to her office.

It cites several complaints, including incidents of sexism and “ongoing sexualisation and harassment of female councillors”; homophobic slurs; and an increase in “antisemitic attitudes”; as well as racist comments. It accuses Makhubele of “failing to act against the blatant discrimination in the chamber” unless called upon to do so. By not acting effectively to stamp it out as soon as possible, they allege that her behaviour has directly contributed to this culture, and they have called on her to take the necessary steps to improve decorum in the house.

DA Councillor Joanne Horwitz told the SA Jewish Report that the many antisemitic comments come mainly from members of the EFF but also members of the African National Congress.

“They are not only unacceptable but offensive and hurtful to say the least. They bring to mind what Jews were facing at the beginning of the Holocaust, when it was quite ok to abuse other people. The behaviour we see in the council against Jews and other minorities such as members of the LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer] community has crossed the line. It starts with words and escalates from there,” she said.

“It’s all so demoralising,” Horwitz said. “On a spiritual level, I find I’m exhausted after a meeting. At the beginning of every meeting, we have a minute of silence for prayer. I always ask Hashem to guard me spiritually and physically.”

The letter states that there has been an increase in antisemitic attitudes pervading the chamber.

“These have ranged from utterances of ‘the racist Israelite government’ – referring to the multiparty government that was previously running the city under ex-mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse – to the singing of ‘Jewish people, ugly nation’.” It accuses Makhubele of failing to act until a complaint was made.

The letter also states that “racism is rampant” in the chamber, with councillors “freely” instructing other councillors to “go back to Europe” as well as other comments “targeting specific race groups”.

Makhubele, who was recently voted as one of the 100 most influential Christians in South Africa, told the SA Jewish Report she is a born again Christian and accepts everyone.

“I stand with Israel, and don’t tolerate antisemitism, racism, sexism, or homophobia. There are underlying political issues around this. The DA isn’t happy with my move away from the multiparty coalition.

“I prayed with the previous mayor, Dr Mpho Phalatse, and I’ve never hidden that I stand with Israel, so I wouldn’t allow antisemitic remarks. I do have to allow everyone to have a voice in council and for the DA to say this now, is disturbing. There’s a lot of miscommunicated information mixed in with politics. Now that I’ve moved, they are levelling these allegations against me.”

Apostle Kevin Reddy, in the private office of the speaker, said, “Speaker Colleen always does what’s right and not what’s popular. She’s indeed an ambassador that serves all of mankind, with the love and benevolence that it truly deserves.”

DA Member of Parliament Madeleine Hicklin said the abusive culture wasn’t new.

“When I was a Johannesburg city councillor, the mayor at the time did nothing to stem antisemitic remarks. It started with the EFF in 2016, and went unchecked. At the time, there were four Jewish councillors, and every time there were comments, we walked out in protest. There was some support from a few councillors who walked with us in solidarity. Sadly, now it’s the accepted norm from the EFF in both local and national government.”

Both Schay and Horwitz said that they had received a lot of support from their colleagues in the DA.

“When one of us stands up to complain, the whole caucus claps as a sign of support. Everyone rallies. If there’s an antisemitic remark, our colleagues close around us to protect us and the same goes for homophobic, sexist, or racist comments,” she said.