DA MP Ian Cameron says he took part in the 2012 AfriForum Youth blackface protest to oppose exclusion based on race quotas.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has slammed the Democratic Alliance (DA) for “deep-rooted racism” in its ranks after a video emerged of party MP Ian Cameron in blackface at an Afriforum Youth protest in 2012.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Red Berets even went as far as claiming that the African National Congress (ANC) is “actively empowering white supremacy” by working alongside the DA in the formation of the government of national unity (GNU).
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DA under fire for MPs: Renaldo Gouws and now Ian Cameron
The latest incident involving DA MPs, follows hot on the heels of the party’s suspension of Renaldo Gouws on Thursday for his racist rant in an old video released on social media when he was a student.
Cameron was recorded in blackface at an Afriforum protest outside the Department of Higher Education and Training.
At the time, the civil rights organisation claimed that the university’s admissions policy eroded the rights of white South Africans.
Why DA MP Ian Cameron went blackface
The video of the students in blackface resurfaced in 2022.
Cameron who is widely known as a civic activist and formerly served as director of community safety at Action Society, joined the DA earlier this year.
In response to the blackface protest video, Cameron told IOL: “I oppose race quotas, and as a member of Afriforum Youth in 2011, participated in a protest to this effect.
“However, I acknowledge that blackface is not acceptable in modern society and for that I apologise. It detracts from the point we at Afriforum Youth were trying to make about exclusion on the basis of race quotas.”
EFF slams DA for Cameron and Gouws videos
Coming in guns blazing after this week’s developments, EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said the presence of members such as Cameron and Gouws in the DA, “exposes the party’s belief in white supremacy”.
According to Mathys, Cameron’s blackface video “is just a symptom of a party that has failed to uproot itself from the horrors of white supremacy”.
“The legacy of blackface is a brutal reminder of the dehumanisation and violence inflicted upon black people. This incident is not isolated but is part of a broader, troubling pattern within the DA.”
“The fact that the DA is the second largest political party, tells us that white supremacy remains rife not just in politics but all sectors of society,” Mathys said.
“Additionally, the party has demonstrated its inability to unequivocally condemn white supremacy.”
ANC ‘actively empowering white supremacy’
“Now, they have been emboldened further by the African National Congress itself, which has sought refuge within the DA, actively empowering white supremacy in South Africa, including in their discussions with the FF+ about ‘recognising’ Orania,” the EFF spokesperson argued.
“South Africans who want to eradicate white supremacy, must squash the existence of DA in our political space and, by extension, the ANC that has found sanctuary with white supremacist political parties.”