Alleged ‘race hustlers’ named

THE Institute of Race Relations (IRR) recently identified three people who they thought were “race hustlers”.

According to the IRR, a race hustler is someone who makes misleading, unfounded, or false claims about race, and exaggerates racial differences for personal gain in profit, power, or prestige.

On Friday, on the IRR's Facebook page, Racism Is Not The Problem, Julius Malema, the leader of the EFF, Andile Mngxitama, the leader of Black First Land First (BLF), and Teresa Oakley-Smith were listed as being race hustlers. Oakley-Smith is the founder and managing director of Diversi-T that specialises in transformation and diversity.

Photographs of them were posted on the page with reasons in support of the allegations.

The IRR posted that: "Malema lies, in order to inflame racial divisions, stoke hatred, and gain political power."

It made reference to a comment made by Mngxitama, where he allegedly said: "From Gandhi to Pravin Gordhan, Indians have developed an unblack consciousness.

They look down on Africans and this includes looking down upon the African professionals. These Indians tend to hire and promote Indians."

The IRR posted: "Mngxitama made this unsupported, untrue claim to obstruct accountability, another wrong turn in a career that aims toward power over a more divided South Africa."

In relation to Oakley-Smith, the IRR posted that she "pretends that black people, even officials, are powerless for her own profit and prestige".

Mngxitama told the POST that he was not surprised that he was named a race hustler.

“The IRR is an anti-black, white-supremacist racist institution. Its primary objective is to provide cover for white racism using fake signs. The job of the institute is to tarnish the name of black people, who are fighting against white racism,” he said.

"The BLF is a political target. It is historical black people, who have fought racism who are termed racist, by the real racists."

Malema and the EFF had not responded at the time of publication. Oakley-Smith declined to comment.