A few days before Reconciliation Day (16 December), we witnessed the most remarkable reconciliation between the erstwhile former Wits Students’ Representative Council president Mcebo Dlamini and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD).
In 2015, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) received a complaint from the SAJBD against Dlamini after he demonstrated his admiration for Adolf Hitler and delved into stereotypical anti-Semitic tropes about Jews. On 14 December, the SAHRC did sterling work by facilitating mediation between the two conflicting parties. The mediation was successful and it was encouraging to see Dlamini’s courageous ability to take responsibility for the hurtfulness of his words and apologise for his comments.
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Fees Must Fall leader Mcebo Dlamini has apologised for his 2015 remarks that disparaged Jews.
In an apology facilitated by the SA Human Rights Commission between the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and Dlamini, he said he should have known better.
He committed himself to learning more about the history of Jewish and Israeli people, in the apology that was accepted by the SAJBD.
Fees Must Fall leader Mcebo Dlamini has apologised to the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) for his disparaging remarks about Jewish people.
In a written apology, Dlamini said he should have known better when he made the comment in 2015 in a public address, and pledged to learn more about Jewish and Israeli history, including making a trip to Israel if he has funds.
Bernadette Wicks Dlamini has issued a sincere apology to the Jewish community, acknowledging that his comments were anti-Semitic, which is a form of racism and says he hopes to learn more about Judaism and visit Israel. Mcebo Dlamini | image: Facebook
“It is only in retrospective (sic) that I began to appreciate how my statements were both ill-advised and, to a certain extent, dangerous because they ignored the kind of trauma that they caused,” he said on Monday.
“As someone who is interested in politics and how it can be used to advance a better world for all, I should have known better”.
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In a subsequent radio interview that brought about a law suit from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), Dlamini opined that Jews were “devils…good for nothing…They are uncircumcised in heart.”
In his letter, Dlamini acknowledged that, in 2015, he had “uttered statements about Jews and Israelis that were not only provocative but also extremely offensive.”
“It is only in retrospect that I began to appreciate how much my statements were both ill-advised and to a certain extent dangerous because they ignored the kind of trauma that they caused,” he wrote.