Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 03-02-2019
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has condemned the racist and inhumane sentiments allegedly expressed by Black First Land First’s (BLF) spokesperson Lindsay Maasdorp in relation to the Hoërskool Driehoek tragedy.
It’s understood Maasdorp is reported to have come out in support of a comment posted by Facebook user Siyanda Gumede in which he said he “doesn’t have a heart to feel pain” for the three children who died after the collapse of a walkway at the Vanderbijlpark school.
Gumede allegedly assumed that the children were all white.
Maasdorp tweeted “why should we frown on the ancestors’ petitions to punish the land thieves including their offspring.”
The foundation’s executive director, Neeshan Balton, says that the comments were “despicable”.
“Our common humanity dictates that the death of any person and particularly any young children requires that we extend our hand of solidarity and friendship to the community of those young people. Because it’s not just those who died, those who were injured as well whom this particular statement would that they in fact perish and I think it’s just abhorrent to say the least.”
Balton says the foundation would be visiting the school to extend its condolences and demonstrate its objection to the sentiments expressed by Maasdorp.
He also commended Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi for his actions and twitter comments in support of the driehoek schooling family, calling on them to not pay any heed to ‘those who want to use race or politics to inflict more pain’.
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