Remove ‘Die Stem’ from the national anthem: EFF

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for the removal of ‘Die Stem’ from the national anthem.

In a statement published on Heritage Day, the political party called it “a song of oppressors, racists and mass murderers”.

“Die Stem is a heritage of oppression and indignity. It is a song of oppressors, racists and mass murderers. Nkosi Sikelela must be sang in the same way as our people did when they were praying for a land free from oppression during colonial and apartheid years.”

“National anthems are songs of collective pride and we cannot be proud of the songs of mass murderous regimes,” the EFF said.

Furthermore, the party called for the removal of all colonial and apartheid symbols, in particular the statue of Louis Botha and Queen Victoria in parliament.

It also questioned the name of the Kruger Park. “The Kruger National Park as a heritage and international destination for tourism must be renamed because Kruger was a colonial racist who engineered and presided over the Boer Republic that was a foundation for apartheid systems.

“There must be no public celebration and valuation of racists who presided over the oppression and mass murder of the black majority. If South African heritage is to be given any dignity land must be redistributed and all colonial and apartheid symbols must fall,” the EFF said.