South Africa’s scandal-hit President Jacob Zuma has denounced as racist some of the placards displayed at mass protests last week to demand his removal from power.
Mr Zuma has been speaking at a memorial for anti-apartheid hero Chris Hani, who was killed by a white supremacist in 1993, a year before minority rule ended in South Africa.
Reuters news agency quoted Mr Zuma as saying:
Many placards and posters displayed beliefs that we thought had been buried in 1994, with some posters depicting black people as baboons. It is clear that some of our white compatriots regard black people as being lesser human beings or sub-human.” A BBC reporter has been tweeting more details from Mr Zuma’s speech:
JZ “There is a resurgence of racism in our country and the racists have become more emboldened”— Karen Allen (@BBCKarenAllen) April 10, 2017
“The racism has become more direct …” Reminds people this is a “non racial South Africa”— Karen Allen (@BBCKarenAllen) April 10, 2017
The protests came after the opposition accused Mr Zuma of being corrupt, and being reckless with the economy by sacking Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Mr Zuma denies the allegations.
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