The two women who have become known as Twitter’s racist models now claim they are both racism virgins.
The two gathered at DA national spokesman Mmusi Maimane’s house on Thursday morning to resolve their issues after they sparked a nationwide race debate.
“I said whites should be killed,” said Tshidi Thamana with a smile and a small laugh. “It’s so not true.”
“That was my first time, I’ll never do it again.”
Jessica Leandra dos Santos gripped her cellphone nervously.
“I am aware of the issues I’ve caused for our nation. I am aware of the severity of the word I used. Tshidi and I will both work on getting the country back to where it was a week ago.”
In an open letter to the DA’s Mmusi Maimane, Dos Santos – in an effort to make amends – wrote: “At this moment I accept and acknowledge that I have brought this nation of ours to its knees.”
She turned to Thamana: “I do apologise if the word I used offended you; it wasn’t intended to cover the entire black race but at a certain individual who disrespected me in public.”
Dos Santos made headlines last week by tweeting racist comments and using the word k*****.
Her tweet raised the ire of Thamana, who responded with her own racist tweet, wishing that all whites were killed.
Maimane then responded by writing an open letter to the models in which he invited them to his home to discuss their issues.
The models said they believed they could go on to be friends and work on a project together. They did not say what this project would be.
Dos Santos has since lost several modelling contracts.
Earlier this week, Victor Moaga, of the SA Human Rights Commission, said complaints about both models had been received – 48 against Dos Santos and 46 against Thamana.
The Star