Black First Land First (BLF) calls on the Deputy President of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa, to stop the hypocrisy that seeks to criminalise or stigmatise his lovers.
Cyril Ramaphosa must take responsibility for his actions. To this end he must (for the first time) show honesty by acknowledging his multiple relationships and ask for forgiveness. Moreover, he must pay lobola and damages where applicable.
Cyril Ramaphosa has turned an event which could have been handled with leadership and integrity into a scandal. In the African setting, polygamy – a practice where a man has more than one wife – is allowed.
Cyril Ramaphosa is rejecting his African identity. He is hypocritical and is demonstrating the same sense of disregard towards the African people as he did in relation to Marikana.
It is not a sin to marry many women as is evidenced by President Jacob Zuma having many wives. What is a scandal is to engage in multiple secret relationships and to denounce, as Ramaphosa does, the said relationships as being something evil.
Ramaphosa is also on record for rejecting the culture of “Sugar Daddies”. How hypocritical is this when Ramaphosa himself has become the King of Sugar Daddies in South Africa? To correct his wrongdoings, Ramaphosa must go to the families of these young women that he has maintained as secret lovers, negotiate lobola and pay damages. Yes, Ramaphosa must do the right thing – he must do the African thing!
Ramaphosa must not hide behind the Courts by employing it to try and interdict the media from publishing what they have now discovered – his multiple secret relationships. Ramaphosa must show integrity by asking for forgiveness from the nation and from those close to him. Furthermore, he must acknowledge his own role in the scandal that he faces today. But Ramaphosa evidently lacks contrition and refuses to take responsibility for his actions.
He shows, through his attempt to silence the media, that he is singularly not fit to be President of this country. Ramaphosa’s refusal to acknowledge his multiple relationships indicates that he is not a man of integrity.
This is reminiscent to what he did in Marikana. He has not yet fully apologised nor paid reparations for his primary role in the mass murder of our people in that area.
The difficulties that Ramaphosa is facing today can be seen as the bones of the Marikana workers rebelling against a man who called the police instead of honestly negotiating for a living wage for those who made him super rich.
Issued by the National Coordinating Committee of Black First Land First (BLF NCC)
2 September 2017
Black First Land First Email: [email protected]
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Website: www.blf.org.za
Zanele Lwana
(Deputy President)
Cell: +27799867225
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Brian Tloubatla
(Deputy National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 82 216 7664