ANC takes on the DA for alleged racist e-mail

By Ofentse Mokae
21 April 2010

The African National Congress in Western Cape is standing by its guns to prove alleged racist practices by the Democratic Alliance in the province.

This is despite DA leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille told the media on Tuesday that a report from an investigation she commissioned proved that an alleged racist e-mail was a fake.

The party’s leadership in the province today laid formal charges at the Human Rights Commission regarding the racist email.

Early in the month the party’s interim leader Membathisi Mdladlana released a letter to the media containing the e-mail sent from Stellenbosch municipal manager Marthinus du Plessis to local government MEC Anton Bredell.

The e-mail contained derogatory words making reference to blacks using the K-WORD, but Mdladlana would not reveal sources to the letter.

Zille said the independent investigation has confirmed her initial suspicion that the e-mail was a hoax designed to discredit the Democratic Alliance and the Western Cape provincial government.

But the ANC’s Jackson Mthembu says they are convinced that the email is genuine and that steps need to be taken.

Meanwhile Mdladlana and ANC leader in the legislature Lynn Brown have been given five working days to respond to Zille’s letter in which she requested the ANC to foot the bill for the investigation amounting to R72 000.