DA’s Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell has courted controversy over her comments about the Tembisa unrest.
Image via Twitter
Oops! DA mayor dragged after ‘condoning racism’ in Tembisa [watch]
Accidental or intentional? Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell has been slammed for her ‘Freudian slip’ of ‘condoning’ racism in Tembisa.
DA’s Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell has courted controversy over her comments about the Tembisa unrest.
Image via Twitter
Twitter users are debating whether it was an innocent slip of the tongue or an intentional statement after the Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Tania Campbell claimed she “condoned” racism in the Tembisa township
In a clip that has gone viral on Twitter, the female Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality mayor was heard addressing the community over their violent protests.
But was it a verbal faux pax or as some tweeps claim, a “Freudian slip”?
TEMBISA MAYOR: I CONDONE RACISM
This week, Tembisa was hit by violent protests after the community took action against increased water and electricity hikes.
The strike action saw irate protesters damage property, set fire to vehicles and office buildings, and bomb ATMs. Four people have died as a result.
But whilst Tania Campbell promised to formally address Tembisa residents on Friday, she did send a message to the community to not engage in criminal activity.
Speaking to a reporter, Tania Campbell said in part “I do not like to preempt investigation…but I condone violence in the city, I condone that type of behaviour and I condone racism…”
When one crowd member corrected her that she had used the “incorrect” wording, Tania quickly added: “Oh sorry, condemn! I am so sorry…I condemn”.
ALSO READ: Tembisa protest: Mayor draws comparisons to 2021 July unrest
WHAT IS A FREUDIAN SLIP?
Tania Campbell’s controversial comments soon blew up on Twitter with many tweeps sharing their views.
And whilst a few claimed her utterances was an “unfortunate mistake”, others claimed it was purely intentional. One Twitter user even referred to the slip-up as the subconscious phenomenon called a “Freudian slip”
According to Healthline, a Freudian slip is traced back to ”slip-ups back to unconscious desires and urges, whether those are:
- things you actually want to say but feel unable to express
- unrealized feelings that haven’t yet entered your realm of conscious thought”
ALSO READ: City suspends burial services in Tembisa due to ongoing protests
???? pic.twitter.com/lpTqUtHYU3
— Slotarnet Dube (@SlotarnetD) August 3, 2022
WHAT TWEEPS SAY
Here is what Twitter users had to say about Tania Campbell’s comments on the unrest in Tembisa.
@fulufhelo_DM: “No matter how hard one can try to suppress it, eventually it will come out”
@CJKomape: “This is their language. So she knows exactly what she was saying”
@Chiller_MB: “DA is full of racists so I for one am not surprised at all because deep down she meant it, she just didn’t wanna admit it in public but our political ancestors helped her speak out her truth”
@MawawaTheANC: “You could that see condones. The comfort in the face says it all”
Twitter
