Meet Bruce Lee, The Tshwane Councillor and MMC. He says South Africa is his home
Bruce Lee, a Councillor in Tshwane and New Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC has been a topic on social media with some South Africans calling him a Chinese or Asian foreigner.
An uproar started when he was named into the Tshwane Town executive by Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Randall Williams.
Many people believed Bruce Lee is a Chinese national serving in the Tshwane town executive as his name resembles that of Bruce Lee, was a Hong Kong American actor, director, martial artist and martial arts instructor.
Randall Williams said he was concerned with the discriminatory comments targeted at the MMC despite him being a South African citizen.
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People questioned his appointment due to his Asian name and look.
The mayor said he is deeply disturbed by some of the openly xenophobic and racist comments that have been directed against Bruce Lee.
“Councillor Lee, while sharing the name with the famous Chinese martial artist, is in fact not Chinese but is South African of Taiwanese descent,” he said.
Others made fun of the development., suggesting martial arts lessons will soon be mandatory in Tshwane.
Tshwane Councillor Bruce Lee was born in Taiwan and his family relocated to South Africa when he was 9 years old in 1989. He grew up to start and run businesses in Southern Africa focusing on manufacturing and export.
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He was first elected as a Councillor in Tshwane in 2011 and he is a holder of an MBA and a degree in Political Science from Taiwan and Hong Kong-based Universities.
Meet Bruce Lee, The Tshwane Councillor and MMC. He says South Africa is his home