A PROVINCIAL ANC leader is in hot water after telling an RDP recipient that his home was the same size as the bar in his own house.
Free State ANC Youth League secretary Reagan Booysen has been forced to apologise for his insensitive remark.
The person he made the comment to, on WhatsApp, later posted the messages on Facebook.
Booysen was told he was out of touch, arrogant and looked down on the poor.
The provincial Young Communist League (YCL) said Booysen’s remarks were an insult to the country’s poor.
Provincial secretary Mamiki Setabela said: “Surprisingly, Booysen built some of these houses when he was a contractor.
“This is hypocrisy of a high level coming from the person who is supposed to advocate for youth development rather than the cheap mockery he is displaying.”
Towards the end of last week, Booysen apologised on Facebook, saying the remark he made to Sello Theepe was taken out of context.
“I would like to apologise to the people of the Free State and SA at large. In my comments, I did not mean to undermine an RDP house, which is a product of our democratic government and a home to many South Africans,” he wrote.
“I accept that my comments may have sounded like an insult to the poor, and for this I apologise. Throughout my years as an activist, I have always worked hard to change the lives of our people, especially the poor and downtrodden.”
However, the YCL rejected the apology. Setabela told Daily Sun it showed no remorse and deserved to be rejected.
