ISSUED BY LAUREN WINCHESTER
PARTY SPOKESPERSON
IFP INFORMATION CENTRE

IFP INFORMATION CENTRE : JULY 29, 1998 

The IFP is appalled by the brutal massacre of nine people in Esimozomeni in Richmond last night.  Five of the deceased were young children and this fact adds to the horror and senselessness of the killing. The IFP conveys condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this particularly sad time.

The ANC’s response to this attack cannot be condoned. When Bheki Cele chooses to accuse a certain segment of the population for the violence that is gripping the Richmond community, he racialises an issue that should not be the subject of a colour debate. For the sake of the people that died, it does not matter if the perpetrators spoke English, Afrikaans or Chinese or if they were White, Black or Green. At the end of the day, those that committed this heinous crime are criminals and the fact that they may be White is really without substance. Regardless of their ethnic origin, they should be brought to book as soon as possible.

When President Nelson Mandela stood up at the funeral of ten ANC members and blamed the White people of Richmond for the violence in the area, he attacked and singled out a particular race. If proof exists that there is any White involvement, then the IFP urges the State President to take the necessary action. However, if there is no such proof and his comment is without substantiation, it should be immediately withdrawn. By demonising the Whites, President Mandela and the ANC send a clear message to the ordinary members of the organisation that it is okay to attack those pointed out. This type of talk will do nothing to engender peace and open-mindedness.

Bheki Cele stated on a national radio programme earlier today that the individuals that carried out this murder "did not speak Zulu, but were talking either English or Afrikaans". English and Afrikaans, however, are as diverse as Zulu and Sotho, for example. This sort of comment merely serves to incite racism in the province; and the IFP rejects all attempts by the ANC to fan the flames of racial hatred and intolerance.

The suggestion that a third force may be operating in the Richmond area is completely and utterly without foundation. The violence in Richmond is rooted in the establishment of the ANC’s SDUs that were trained by MK.

The IFP calls upon the ANC to stop looking for the cause of the Richmond violence elsewhere. The time has come for the ANC to critically look at the role that it has played in the troubles that have repeatedly bloodied the Midlands. It seems as though the ANC is resolved to bringing about another revolution in South Africa – this time not to free, but to divide the people of this country.