Zuma must apologise - DA
2011-02-06 14:38
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma should apologise to South Africans for using religion in an attempt to score political points, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.
The DA was commenting on remarks made by Zuma on Saturday in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
It said Zuma likened voting for the ANC to choosing to go to heaven, and voting for another party to choosing the devil.
The DA said Zuma also said in his speech that people who carried an ANC membership card would get into heaven easily.
"When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork... who cooks people," Zuma said.
"When you are carrying an ANC membership card, you are blessed. When you get up there, there are different cards used but when you have an ANC card, you will be let through to go to heaven."
The DA said in a statement that ordinary South Africans would find Zuma's comments offensive and unacceptable.
"His words are incendiary and dangerous, in that they seek to mobilise along religious lines, and sow seeds of division in our communities.
"Indeed, this is an act of shameless political and religious blackmail - the sort of political skulduggery that may be the norm in autocracies, but that should be anathema to our constitutional democracy.
"Mr Zuma should apologise unreservedly for these remarks."
- SAPA
