The legacy of apartheid is still alive, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe has said.
Mantashe told journalists at a press conference at Luthuli House yesterday the Holocaust was still fresh in the memories of Jews, even though it happened more than 60 years ago.
"Therefore why do people think apartheid will disappear in twenty short years?"
He was responding to a question on what the ANC's official stance on the legacy of apartheid was following seemingly contradictory statements about the matter by President Jacob Zuma and Planning Minister Trevor Manuel.
Manuel last week said apartheid could no longer be blamed for the government's current failings, but Zuma yesterday said 20 years of democracy was not enough to eradicate apartheid.
Mantashe, however, said the apparent differences between the two was not the issue. "The issue is how long it will take to close the chapter on (apartheid)." He said it wasn't "realistic" to expect that this would happen yet.
Mantashe said under apartheid, black people were not allowed to do maths, and that had an impact on the quality of maths teachers today. He said Bantu Education was meant to "poison" the brains of black people, yet many had emerged remarkably well from it.
