Minority Front leader Shameem-Thakur Rajbansi. Picture: SUNDAY TIMES
Minority Front leader Shameem-Thakur Rajbansi. Picture: SUNDAY TIMES

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A WAR of words has erupted between the Minority Front (MF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) after a cartoon depicting a DA member urinating on the MF logo was circulated on Facebook and other social networks.

The MF has opened a case with the South African Human Rights Commission and has also lodged a complaint with Facebook.

The DA said the cartoon was just an expression of how the cartoonist felt and the party asked the MF to have "some sense of humour" because artists and cartoonists often have "free rein" when depicting politicians and political parties.

MF leader Shameem-Thakur Rajbansi said the cartoon was circulated by a well-known DA leader who is also on the party’s candidate list for the upcoming general elections.

She said her party felt that this cartoon was "immoral, senseless, defamatory and unethical". She said the party logo was sacred to party supporters.

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"This action violates the electoral code of conduct which was signed by DA leader Helen Zille. The DA has hurt the dignity of the Indian community (with) this cartoon displaying the arrogance of a (supremacist) colonial mentality over the MF, which is home to thousands of Indian voters. By inference, this is how the DA views Indian people," she said.

"This is malicious and the work of desperate DA candidates who stoop to the level of human rights violations in trying to please their masters for their positions. The (Indian) community must now be the judge of the DA and its dirty tactics," said Ms Rajbansi.

Sizwe Mchunu, DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, said the party would look into the matter and see whether it could sanction the members concerned.

However, he criticised the MF for failing to have a sense of humour.

"Cartoonists and artists have forever had a field day in this country about President Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema, and even former president Nelson Mandela was caricatured. You cannot control what artists think and write because this is a free country. The MF must just focus on its election campaign instead of worrying about such non-issues," said Mr Mchunu.