The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has once again spoken out against Die Stem.
In a statement issued on Tuesday to mark Heritage Day, the party referred to it as an “apartheid celebrating anthem.”
We call on President Ramaphosa to remove the apartheid celebrating anthem from democratic South Africa’s anthem.
Die Stem must fall from our national anthem and be banned in the same way as the apartheid flag has been banned by our courts.
EFF
EFF said no one should take pride in singing Die Stem because it is “a direct insult to the very constitutional objectives of healing the divisions of the past.”
It accused the African National Congress (ANC) of facilitating “mental slavery” of black people by socialising them into accepting Die Stem.
Land expropriation
The party reiterated its call for land expropriation without compensation so that Heritage Day can have true meaning.
The beginning of all heritage is the land; the foundation of African people’s claim to any heritage is the land. Without the land all else is meaningless.
EFF
It further demanded the abolition of all “apartheid and colonial public signs” such as statues.
Street and public property names such as Kruger National Park must be renamed, EFF said.
It repeated its call for renaming of Cape Town International Airport after the late Winnie Mandela and East London airport after Steve Biko.
‘No to Braai Day rubbish’
EFF leader Julius Malema also separately tweeted against using “Braai Day’ to refer to Heritage Day.