Analyst applauds swearing-in of Chinese-South African as MP

The swearing-in of Xiaomei Harvard in the National Assembly as the member of parliament (MP) was an indication of the ANC’s “multicultural” position, said a South African analyst.

“This simply shows our politics and the ANC as a multicultural party,” Ralph Mathekga, an independent political analyst told Xinhua.

Speaking on SAfm radio, Harvard said she came to South Africa in 1994 to do her doctorate studies and joined the ANC in 2004. She said she was proudly “South African” and would work hard to change people’s lives.

Harvard replaced the Minister in Presidency Jackson Mthembu who died from COVID-19 related complications recently. She became the first person of Chinese descent to join the National Assembly since the advent of democracy in 1994.

However, there was mixed reactions to her deployment and there was a hashtag which said it rejected her. When Mathekga was asked about the hashtag, he said it was racist.

“It’s racist, there’s no other way of calling it. If someone wants to be part of politics, and they are qualified, nothing must prevent them,” he said, “she has a right as a citizen to be in that position.”

Xinhua News Agency