ActionSA demands apology after Macpherson allegedly calls black people 'hobos'
The DA and ActionSA took the city to the Durban High Court over a sewage problem on Thursday and things turned sour between the two parties.
According to IOL, Macpherson allegedly told a reporter that ActionSA provincial chairperson Zwakele Mncwango had denied calling the police to disperse 'hobos', which he claimed ActionSA had recruited to come to the court to pose as its members while picketing.
In a letter written to Macpherson, Mncwango said using the word 'hobos' to refer to black people is 'deeply offensive and dehumanising'.
'Whether or not this term was used with racial intent, the impact of your words cannot be separated from the painful racial history of South Africa,' Mncwango said.
'Referring to a group of predominantly Black South Africans using a term historically associated with poverty, disposability and social worthlessness is not only deeply offensive, it is dehumanising.
'In a country still grappling with the scars of apartheid, where the dignity of black people was systematically stripped for decades, language like this is more than an insult — it's a racial affront.'
He said it sends a message that black people can be reduced to derogatory labels when politically opposed.
'Even if you did not mean harm, the effect of your words and actions have caused real pain and reinforced racial hierarchies that many of us are fighting to dismantle.
'Dismissing ActionSA members — who are citizens, voters, and human beings — as hobos based on their appearance or political alignment is undignified, unacceptable and racist.'
The party condemned Macpherson's conduct during the court proceedings, where he allegedly instructed black DA leaders to vacate their front-row seats for white and Indian members.
Mncwango called on Macpherson to issue a public apology. Failure to do so would confirm that he accepted the label of being called a racist, Mncwango said.
'It is clear that you are obsessed with ActionSA and its leadership. While I do not mind your political fixation on the party, I will never accept racism against black people in any form, whether subtle or overt.'
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This reporter has a video of Macpherson addressing DA members in the presence of their provincial leader, Francois Rodgers. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ During an interview with this reporter, Macpherson repeated the same word, which translates to hobos. Pharas is a shortened version of the Zulu word amaphara, which means hobos, street beggars, and drug addicts. 'These terms, directed at a group of predominantly black ActionSA supporters, are not only deeply offensive but, in the context of our country's painful history, cannot be divorced from their racially charged and dehumanising connotations,' said Beesley. He said it was unethical for Macpherson, as DA's senior leader, MP, and minister, to 'resort to such racist and inflammatory rhetoric'. 'This kind of conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the values enshrined in the Constitution and the responsibilities of elected public officials. 'Despite ActionSA's public call on 28 July 2025 for an immediate apology, Minister Macpherson has refused to retract his remarks or offer any sign of remorse for the harm caused,' said Beesley. In the video, Macpherson is heard saying: 'There is a smallanyana (little) party, (referring to ActionSA), they just brought up some people and we don't know who they are since they are paras, they gave them some green T-shirts. 'When you asked which party (they belong to), they said 'angazi' (I don't know), 'I am just here for one meal and one drink', and they were here for just singing and dancing.' Beesley called for the Ethics Committee to act against Macpherson to preserve Parliament's dignity, 'but more importantly, to affirm the fight against racism in South Africa'. 'We have therefore called on the Ethics Committee to take decisive action against this errant minister and at the very least ensure that he issues a written public apology to ActionSA supporters and to the people of South Africa at large,' he said. The animosity between the two parties was laid bare outside the court, where their supporters were there to support the court action. The DA supporters who carried placards picketed against the eThekwini Municipality as their party had been granted the right to do so. The ActionSA's provincial leader, Zwakele Mncwango, alleged that Macpherson had approached the police to disperse his party members because their party had not applied for picketing. Mncwango said ActionSA members were not picketing when they were approached by police, adding that police stopped removing ActionSA supporters after he and Rodgers intervened. In response to questions sent by this reporter, Macpherson described ActionSA as 'nothing other than an attention-seeking organisation with dubious motives'. He said ActionSA seemed to be always working on distracting him whenever he fights corruption, for reasons he did not understand. 'It was in January of this year that they called for me to be suspended after they tried to push claims that I bribed journalists in relation to the exposes being written about the IDT (Independent Development Trust), and now they come up with bogus claims of racism, just as we have concluded the investigation into IDT. 'Their agenda is very clear: to attack and discredit me so that I back off investigating corruption and maladministration in the department,' said Macpherson.
