July riots: President Cyril Ramaphosa reacts to the tribalism statements

President Cyril Ramaphosa says anti-tribal remarks directed at him during the July riots hit a sensitive spot.

On Friday, April 1, 2022, Ramaphosa spoke in the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) hearings into the July riots, which were held in Johannesburg.

Last year, the president drew controversy when he blamed ethnic mobilization for some of the forces involved in the violence.

Demonstrations seeking former president Jacob Zuma’s release from prison began in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), but quickly deteriorated into violent looting sprees that moved to Gauteng.

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RAMAPHOSA: ANTI-VENDA REMARKS ‘GAVE ME CAUSE FOR CONCERN’

President Cyril Ramaphosa claimed that some of the remarks made at him were intended at his Venda background, which he claims goes beyond personal.

During the apartheid era, he claims, tribalism was utilized to create hatred and divide black people. Ramaphosa claims he was shown conversations, including one in which someone stated that because he is Venda, they would never obey orders from him.

“That went beyond being personally damaging for me,” Ramaphosa continued.

Melanie Veness, the CEO of the Pietermaritzburg Business Chamber, also spoke at the proceedings, according to the president. According to Veness, there was graffiti on the streets stating that Ramaphosa must return to Venda, which troubled him.

“These words hit a particular nerve. They gave me cause for concern that tribalism, founders of the organisation that I lead, the African National Congress (ANC), sought to obliterate from the South African socio-political landscape. In fact some of the founding leaders said we must kill the demon of tribalism”

President Cyril Ramaphosa

During the fighting, about 330 individuals were killed. While the government claims the violence was a failed insurgency, others believe it was pure criminality and that the country’s economically disadvantaged saw it as an opportunity to better themselves.

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