Cabanac’s appointment is bewildering, says Helen Suzman Foundation

August 28, 2024 234

Executive Director of the Helen Suzman Foundation, Nicole Fritz, says the appointment of Roman Cabanac to the Department of Agriculture is bewildering.

Agriculture Minister and DA leader, John Steenhuisen, named the controversial podcaster as the chief of staff for his office.

Cabanac gained notoriety over his problematic political statements and racial slurs on social media.

Fritz says people appointed to such roles should not show contempt for the foundational values of this country.

“Those being dignity, equality, human rights, non-racialism and the supremacy of our constitution. Cabanac in his public utterances has only shown contempt for these values,” she adds.

The Helen Suzman Foundation Executive Director says the fact that Cabanac refers to NGOs as enemies of the people, shows the disdain that he would treat one of the most critical departments within the government.

Meanwhile, Diversity, culture and change consultant, Bongani Tshabalala, says South Africans can expect more of such appointments under the Government of National Unity (GNU).

He says they should not come as a surprise.

Tshabalala echoed the sentiments of many citizens, who labelled this appointment as another provocation by the GNU.

“I do not expect the DA or any other political party to change its stripes, they will appoint how they’ve always appointed. It is who they are and as a country, we need to understand that what we voted for is represented by what we are seeing and getting as appointments.”

He says it is disheartening to see that the government continues to enable and employ people with questionable stances to racism.

“The appointment of people who have clear racist stances, explicitly racist will continue in this country and they will continue not only because parties like the DA defend them, but they will continue because even the current GNU advocates for them.

“We can’t fairly say this racist can’t be appointed, and yet allow that racist to be appointed, you need to be able to cut across.”

Tshabalala was referring to FF Plus leader and Correctional Services Minister, Dr Pieter Groenewald, who in the past supported apartheid.

Groenewald was a member of the National Party (NP), which presided over the apartheid era in South Africa, from 1948 to early 1994.

“The message is very clear that racists are welcome, so the door is wide open. So, as South Africans we are getting to a point where identifying or seeing racism in a person is not enough for that person to be excluded and that is the reality we are in.”

The DA values the racist vote deeply, and no longer cares about public criticism.

Here is John Steenhuisen’s Chief of Staff 👇🏾

GNU of Racism. pic.twitter.com/mC1RyEg2OV

— Sinawo Thambo (@Sinawo_Thambo) August 28, 2024

The morning shot a blog run by Roman Cabanac chief of staff for John Steenhuisen has deleted blog posts which supported and praised Cape Independence.

They are still accessible thanks to the internet archive. Question is why were they deleted? pic.twitter.com/IhqNtfxCu0

— Africa Research Desk (@MightiJamie) August 27, 2024

So John Steenhuisen’s chief of staff. Roman Cabanac is calling Xhosas from the Eastern Cape who live in the Western Cape foreigners. And not only is he racist, he is a classic too as he doesn’t want poor people to live the Western Cape pic.twitter.com/7xAB4n6qO5

— Julius Oaganga (@afroghanga) August 27, 2024