Apartheid was a crime against humanity, Kallie Kriel's denial deserves damnation
No South African who still has a conscience, who still remembers the dark cells, who still honours the dead, and who still refuses to allow the architects and apologists of racial tyranny to rewrite history in their own favour, writes Carl Niehaus.
In a recent interview, AfriForum's Kallie Kriel denied that apartheid constituted a crime against humanity. He faced the cameras, looked directly into the eyes of Black South Africans, and trivialized the systematic destruction, institutionalized racism, and dehumanization of an entire people. Kriel minimized the detention cells, forceful removals, indefinite detentions without trial, and murders to mere "wrongs."
This disregard for the UN's designation of apartheid as a crime against humanity is not a mere historical debate, but rather an affront to the dignity of the millions of lives profoundly impacted by this system. Kriel's denial reveals his racial arrogance and benefits from the privileges perpetuated by the very system he seeks to minimize.
His role with AfriForum, dedicated to the defense and perpetuation of white privilege and supremacy, further demonstrates his complicity in racial injustice. The atrocities of apartheid, including the Group Areas Act, Bantu Education, pass laws, and widespread violence, constitute a crime against humanity. The trauma endured by survivors, like the author, is an unspoken reminder of the indelible impact of this historical injustice.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
