Trump comment on 'shithole countries' extremely offensive to South Africa, official says

EAST LONDON, South Africa, 12 Jan. - (ANA) - Comments by U.S. President Donald Trump referring to some African nations as “shithole countries” are extremely offensive to South Africa, a senior official with the ruling African National Congress party said on Friday.

“Ours is not a shithole country, neither is Haiti or any other country in distress,” Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of the ANC, said at a news conference in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

Two sources told Reuters that Trump on Thursday questioned why the United States would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as “shithole countries”.

“It’s not as if the United States doesn’t have problems. There is unemployment in the U.S., there are people who don’t have healthcare services,” Duarte told reporters.

She added: “We would not deign to make comments as derogatory as that about any country that has any kind of socioeconomic or other difficulties.”- (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 12 January 2018 - - -