Cape Town – Sharon Sabbagh, a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor in Knysna, has reportedly sparked controversy after allegedly referring to a council meeting as a “monkey circus”.
According to The Citizen, the incident occurred during a recent Knysna special finance and governance committee sitting, with Sabbagh’s remarks captured in a widely circulated TikTok video.
The video depicts Sabbagh lashing out at opposition parties amidst a tumultuous atmosphere among councillors attempting to address a point of order. In the midst of the chaos, Sabbagh reportedly snapped, saying, “We are going to have the yappa yappa monkey circus going on here.”
@noyabapress♬ original sound – noyabapress
When confronted about her choice of words, Sabbagh denied directly calling anyone a monkey, asserting, “if they feel offended, then it’s because they are one”.
Despite being urged to withdraw her statement, she expressed frustration, apologising to proceed with the meeting.
“What must I withdraw? I didn’t… oh my God. For the sake of proceeding, I apologise and stop this yappa yapping. It’s ridiculous,” she said, according to the report.
In response to the controversy, DA’s political head in the Knysna Constituency, Dion George, defended Sabbagh, alleging that her comments had been misinterpreted. George suggested that Sabbagh’s remarks were exploited to divert attention from governance issues caused by the ANC/PA/EFF coalition’s alleged failure to deliver services, particularly to lower-income households.
“The councillor’s comments have been misconstrued and shamefully used to deflect voter’s attention from the destruction the ANC/PA/EFF coalition caused in Knysna as a result of their absolute failure to deliver services to residents, especially to lower income households,” the report quoted George as saying.
However, the EFF in the Western Cape condemned Sabbagh’s alleged behaviour as racist and demanded her immediate removal.
They highlighted the historical context of racial derogation, linking it to colonialism and apartheid, and called for investigations by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
📚STATEMENT📚
EFF WESTERN CAPE CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA) COUNCILLOR, SHARON SABBAGH FOR REFERRING TO OTHER COUNCILLORS AS MONKEYS#VoteEFF2024 pic.twitter.com/ceoJ9dsobU
— EFF_Western Cape (@EFFWesternCape_) March 31, 2024
The EFF asserted that Sabbagh’s conduct had inflicted harm on the dignity of black individuals, prompting them to pursue legal action against her.
“The racist behaviour of referring and calling black people monkeys is not an isolated case, but both a structural and endemic phenomenon whose roots could be traced back to colonialism and later apartheid where black people were depicted in a negative light and their blackness portrayed as an aberration.
“EFF Western Cape calls on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate Sabbagh with immediate effect. We will also lay a charge with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for Sabbagh to be arrested,” the EFF said in a statement.
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Picture: X/@EFFWesternCape_
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
