ANC Demands Apology Over Racist Podcast Remarks

• ANC Condemns Racist Remarks About the Coloured Community: The African National Congress stated that recent racist comments made during the Open Chat podcast are deeply offensive and undermine South Africa’s democratic values.
• Remarks Contradict South Africa’s Democratic Principles: The party emphasized that these comments revive painful apartheid stereotypes and oppose the principles of non-racialism, dignity, and unity as outlined in the Constitution and the Freedom Charter.
• Recognition of Contributions of Coloured South Africans: The ANC highlighted the historic role of Coloured South Africans in the liberation struggle, honoring figures such as Basil February, Dulcie September, Ashley Kriel, and Cheryl Carolus.

The African National Congress (ANC) has strongly condemned recent racist and dehumanising comments made about the Coloured community during an episode of the Open Chat podcast, calling the comments deeply offensive and a betrayal of South Africa’s democratic values.

The party said the remarks revived painful apartheid-era stereotypes and ran contrary to the principles of non-racialism, dignity, and unity enshrined in the Constitution and the Freedom Charter.

The ANC highlighted the historic contributions of Coloured South Africans in the liberation struggle, honouring names like Basil February, Dulcie September, Ashley Kriel, Cheryl Carolus, and others.

In response, the ANC is calling for:

• A full and unreserved apology from the podcast hosts,
• Stricter oversight from content platforms to prevent hate speech,
• And national unity against divisive rhetoric.

The party warned that humour cannot be used as a mask for prejudice and urged all South Africans to resist any attempts to divide society.

The ANC said this is a reminder that the struggle for unity and social cohesion is ongoing—and must be defended through responsible dialogue and shared values.