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RACISM is once again rearing its ugly head just because the South African government has decided to take concrete steps to redress imbalances in land ownership among black and white people, since the colonial and apartheid eras.

The ruling African National Congress has made it clear, using a constitutional platform — Parliament — to tell the people that they will embark on land expropriation without compensation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was also clear on the land tenure policy when he said in February: “We will accelerate our land redistribution programme not only to redress a grave historical injustice, but also to bring more producers into the agricultural sector and to make more land available for cultivation . . . Guided by the resolutions of the 54th National Conference of the governing party, this approach will include the expropriation of land without compensation”.

It was, therefore, shocking to read in the media yesterday that this move to correct these historical injustices is not only being used as a platform to demonise South Africa’s land reform programme, but to actually advance the racist agenda, an agenda for the privileged.

The media is awash with reports about Australia’s Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton, who believes that his department should look into ways of fast-tracking visas for white South Africans. He said they deserved “special attention” and assistance from a “civilised country” like Australia.

Dutton hides his hypocritical and racist remarks behind the alleged farm murders. As a government minister, we expected that he would raise his concerns not just with his department, but should have used diplomatic channels as provided by international                                                                                                  law.

We commend South Africa for criticising Dutton’s approach as they remarked that this was “sad” and “regrettable”.

According to reports, a spokesperson for International Relations minister Lindiwe Sisulu said, “There is no need to fear. . . we want to say to the world that we are engaged in a process of land redistribution, which is very important to address the imbalances of the past. But it is going to be done legally, and with due consideration of the economic impact and impact on individuals.”

We hope that Australia and South Africa will resolve this unfortunate incident in an amicable way, and make the Australian Home Affairs minister understand that being a hard worker and a law abiding citizen have nothing to do with race.

There are both black and white people, who are hardworking, and the opposite is also true that from both racial groupings, you find people that are very lazy.

President Ramaphosa made it clear that they were “building a country where a person’s prospects are determined by their own initiative and hard work, and not by the colour of their skin, place of birth, gender, language or income of their parents.”

So, why cause alarm and despondency when we expect that in as much as they celebrated Nelson Mandela’s election as South Africa’s first black democratically elected president, they would do the same in terms of ensuring that land is equitably distributed among all races.

While we cannot deny the farm murders claims raised by the Australian minister, The Guardian newspaper says, “Gareth Newham of the Institute for Security Studies, one of South Africa’s leading authorities on crime statistics, said there was no evidence to support the notion that white farmers were targeted more than anyone else in the country.”

Newham is quoted by the Guardian saying: “In fact, young black males living in poor urban areas like Khayelitsha and Lange face a far greater risk of being murdered.

The murder rate there is between 200 and 300 murders per 100 000 people.”

Dutton’s sentiments will, fortunately, not stop land expropriation.

Infact Australia must first give Aborigines land ahead of privileged white South Africans!