ANT KATZ

A picture of the incident was widely tweeted out by ANC-branch on the same day leading to an immediate storm of protest. Boycott Divest and Sanction (BDS-SA) disassociated themselves from, and condemned the action on the same day, as did the SAJBD and several Muslim organisations.

RIGHT: The image tweeted out by ANC_branch

The students missed the point in trying to support BDS’s campaign to stop Woolies from carrying products sourced from Israel – as BDS-SA is itself the SA arm of the US NGO which is Muslim-led and which was equally disgusted by the pig,

Dug heels in

Yet COSAS themselves, despite all the dissenting feelings, have dug their heels in and themselves continued to exacerbate the story almost daily.

So much so, that in the authoritative Politicsweb.com newsletter last Sunday, five of the 25 stories were on the Pigs Head subject and hardly a mainstream newspaper has not covered the story.

The DA was also quick to come out against the incident. Early last week the SA Jewish Board of Deputies laid an “Anti-Semitic demonstration and hate-speech” complaint against COSAS and their Western Cape chairman, Siphakamise Ngxowa, with the SA Human Rights Commission. On Thursday the Board held a protest outside the Woolworths Sea Point store where the offence took place.

COSAS’ threat to take things further  

Last week the response of COSAS was that they would start putting pigs’ heads in Woolies stores around the Western Cape.

The ACDP issued a press release last week commending Woolworths for refusing to bow to BDS pressure. Party leader Rev Kenneth Meshoe also referred to the pig-protest by Cosas, saying it was “grossly insensitive and intolerant and should be condemned by all South Africans who believe the rights of all religious groups in our country should be respected”.

Meshoe added that: “If this shameful intolerance is not condemned, then we may start to see copycats also placing pig heads in sections dedicated to Kosher or Halaal foods, with serious consequences.”

ANC joins the fray

Then, last Saturday, the ANC came out and labelled the “COSAS pigs head campaign misguided and unfortunate”. No friend of Israel’s, the ANC’s deputy secretary general, Jessie Duarte, made clear that “heightened action to boycott and isolate Israel are not a call or a campaign against Judaism nor is it anti-Semitic”, she said. The ANC’s Western Cape provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile also castigated the students.

Last weekend COSAS in the Western Cape held a Provincial Executive Committee meeting after which they issued a statement which included:

• Recognising that the ANC has to distance itself from “our important campaign”.
• Condemning ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile’s statement as malicious. “How can a former COSAS leader who threw petrol bombs at progressive white people lecture us?” they asked
• Condemning the “Pig-headed Woolworths bosses” who they said “must come clean and say why they have hidden the other three pigs’ heads”. COSAS said they were “Disappointed that Woolworths has not reported to the media or public, or maybe has not located the three pigs’ heads that have been placed”.

Darren goes to Parley

Finally, on Tuesday afternoon this week, DA MP Darren Bergman delivered a Member’s Statement in Parliament on the pig head issue. “The DA calls on the ANC and its affiliates to act responsibly and to protect the rights of minority groups to exist in this country as equal South African citizens”, said Bergman.

Previously published on SAJR.CO.ZA

• 05 NOV:
• 05 NOV:Now everyone jumps onto the pig-wagon -BY ANT KATZ
• 05 NOV: Pig’s head incident: BDS implicated by association -BY NATHAN CHEIMAN
• 04 NOV: Bergman to ANC: Control pig-headed affiliates –BY ANT KATZ
• 04 NOV:From a pig’s head to Mauritian celebration-BY MARY KLUK
• 31 OCT:Jewish community says no to hate speech-BY ANT KATZ (great pics)
• 31 OCT: COSAS’ clowns are chasing their own tails -BY ANT KATZ
• 30 OCT: Cosas shows the worst anti-Semitic face -BY MARY KLUK
• 29 OCT: Cape Town anti-anti-Semitism demo Thursday -BY ANT KATZ
• 29 OCT: Woolies: Hooligans nabbed in Jhb, Cape Town -BY ANT KATZ
• 29 OCT: The dangerous politics of pigs’ heads -BY GEOFF SIFRIN
• 24 OCT: Board condemns pigs in ‘kosher’ counter -BY ANT KATZ