News Day
31 October 2012
EDUCATION minister David Coltart has accused his counterparts in Cabinet of perpetuating racism by openly making unsavoury remarks even in his presence.
Coltart, who posted a message on his Facebook wall over the weekend, said: “It is wrong to paint any race or ethnic group with a single broad brush because there are remarkable white people out there who are deeply committed to the concept of a multi-racial, truly democratic Zimbabwe.â€
Coltart is currently Zimbabwe’s only white Cabinet minister, while Timothy Stamps is President Robert Mugabe’s health advisor and former Health minister.
“I am constantly amazed by the frequency with which a broad brush is used, so often in a deeply offensive manner in Zimbabwe. I think in Cabinet, sometimes, colleagues forget that I am there because the comments made by some about whites in general, are on occasions shocking,†Coltart said.
“If I made the same type of comments about black Zimbabweans, I would rightly be branded as a sympathiser of the Nazis and the Klu Klux Klan. This discourse has even crept into our constitutional debate. Sadly, we have developed such a gross level of intolerance towards people that we all make generalisations about others which would be unacceptable in all genuine democracies.â€
The Facebook post was in response to an article about award-winning author Petina Gappa’s recent public presentation on racism in a privately-owned weekly newspaper, The Patriot.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Landa John Nkomo High School in Tsholotsho in July this year, Mugabe hailed Coltart for his racial tolerance and courage to continue serving in a Cabinet dominated by blacks.