Andile Mngxitama has called for violence to be inflicted on a white journalist on social media.
Mngxitama, who holds an MA in Sociology from Wits, works at the Foundation for Human Rights as a policy advisor. The foundation’s director, Yasmin Sooka, hastily promised that the foundation did not condone violence or the incitement to violence and/or the expression of hate speech, and they intended to investigate the matter fully and to take “appropriate action”.
Jared Sacks – an independent journalist, social justice activist, and founder of the NGO Children of South Africa – apparently doesn’t want to get involved since his writing might invite more anti-white comments.
But the Facebook rant has hurt the feelings of other whites who like to befriend blacks. The likes of Zackie Achmat, Jane Duncan, Ayanda Kota and Nathan Geffen sent a letter conveying their hurt to the Mail & Guardian, accusing Mngxitama of “downright unethical” behaviour in threatening Sacks with violence on a public platform.
“To want to settle a political dispute through a physical fight, which is what Mngxitama calls for on his page [befriended by more than 5,000 people] is a terrible message for a public intellectual of Mngxitama’s stature to be communicating,” the letter read.
The fearless Xhosa has threatened Afrikaner farmers as well as author Dan Roodt on numerous occasions, but this only invited support by the same group now complaining.
Mngxitama previously called 5fm DJ Gareth Cliff “the poster boy of post-1994 racism”; accused the DA Students’ Organisation (Daso) of “selling the politics of racism as anti-racism”; and Jewish author Jonny Steinberg a “polite fascist”.
An opinion piece by Jared Sacks in the Mail & Guardian attracted Mngxitama’s ire. Headlined “Biko would not vote for Ramphele”, Sacks argues that Mamphela Ramphele’s political philosophies are far removed from Biko’s theories of Black Consciousness.
Stephen Bantu Biko was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population.
“She has replaced Biko’s profound concept of Black Consciousness with an airy hope of a ‘South African Consciousness’, a nationalism predicated on the denial of the realities of race,” Sacks wrote. “[Biko] genuinely believed in the black masses and in their ability to lead the revolution and collectively build a wholly new society. The mineworkers, shack-dwellers and farmworkers of this country stand diametrically opposed to everything Ramphele believes in.”
Sacks thus expressed skepticism about the launch of Ramphele’s new political party platform, Agang. Another individual who voiced cynicism was Mngxitama himself, who wrote on Twitter shortly after Ramphele’s February announcement: “The tragedy of Agang is its ideological slant is its ideological slant. We don’t need another neo-liberal gang. The ANC and DA have done enough damage already.”
Mngxitama’s later comments to the Guardian voiced similar views to those of Sacks on Ramphele: “She’s linked to the white capital mining sector,” Mngxitama said. “She can’t claim to be part of black consciousness.”
Despite their similar views, Mngxitama nonetheless attacked Sacks. As the GroundUp website reported on Monday, Mngxitama used Facebook to vent his frustrations on the same day that the article by Sacks was published online.
“I don’t easily call for physical violence but I believe if there are any real Bikoists out there whenever we see that white little bastard called Jared Sacks we must beat the shit out of him,” Mngxitama wrote. “They are now pissing on Biko’s face. They can diss Mamphele all they want, but to insult us like this? When I see Jared he must beat me up. That’s the deal.”
In response to comments on his post, he added: “I know this white boy. He goes to the township, fucks up community organisations, and now he is fucking with Biko and BC. No! This is not a joke. He better be prepared. I’m black consciousness bruh and I know what white arrogance is. Jared will pay for this.”
Mngxitama makes it clear what his real issue with Sacks is: that the white journalist claims to understands black consciousness. “We don’t need Sacks to talk on our behalf, nor shall we allow him to insult Biko’s name and philosophy,” he wrote not long ago.
Mngxitama believes: “Each year, Biko’s memory is appropriated to serve anti-black agendas. His philosophy needs to be defended and elaborated by true Bikoists.”
He is probably dead right about that. South Africa has become the graveyard of white opportunists like Sacks who claim to speak for blacks. – Editor
