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Local – ANC Greater Johannesburg Spokesperson, Mantombi Nkosi, stated that the banning of Louis Seeco at the Houghton Golf Club was nothing short of discriminatory and a violation of his constitutional right to freedom of expression, following an incident at the club over the weekend in which Seeco was allegedly barred from the premises for displaying a Palestinian flag on his vehicle.
The incident, which took place at the upmarket Johannesburg golf club, has drawn a sharp political response from the ruling party, with the ANC’s Johannesburg subcommittee on international relations confirming that it has contacted club management and issued a formal demand for a retraction and a public apology to Seeco.
“Mr Seeco being banned for displaying a Palestinian flag is nothing short of a violation of his freedom of expression. And we believe that as the ANC, the Houghton club must immediately retract from this discriminatory letter that they would have sent to him to ban him,” Nkosi said.
Apartheid Comparisons
The ANC drew explicit parallels between the club’s conduct and South Africa’s apartheid past, with Nkosi noting that the country’s history of state-sanctioned discrimination makes incidents of this nature particularly egregious. The party has set a deadline for the club to respond to its demands, warning that failure to do so would prompt a march and mass mobilisation to the premises.
“We will not hesitate to march and mobilise to that club because we will not tolerate such unconstitutional and unlawful and apartheid-style of doing things. This is not just an administrative issue. It is really a complete disregard of our constitution,” Nkosi said.
A Polarising Climate
The incident has also raised broader questions about a growing intolerance toward pro-Palestinian voices in South Africa, with various similar incidents across the country pointing to mounting tensions. Nkosi acknowledged that such instances are on the rise, attributing the trend in part to the intensifying global discourse around Gaza.
“We are seeing this intolerance around the issue of freeing Palestine and the genocide issue in Palestine. But as the African National Congress, we are quite clear — we are very committed to the cause in Palestine because it is really rooted in the same principles of international solidarity and anti-colonial resistance that guided our liberation,” Nkosi said.
The ANC reiterated its commitment to the Palestinian cause, grounding it in the same principles of international solidarity and anti-colonial resistance that underpinned global support for South Africa’s own liberation struggle. Nkosi said the party would continue to stand with Palestine until a free state is achieved.
