Durban - Political parties have promised to press charges against people posting racist rants on social media about Diwali celebrations and fireworks.
This in the wake of weekend comments on the Gatvol Bluff Facebook page.
The poster, whose name is known to the Daily News, wrote: “Same story every year. Despite the outcry about crackers every year and in spite of the ban on the import, Zuma still give (sic) the Gupta’s (sic) licence to import the **** by the container load.”
The poster went on to write: “To those idol-worshippers and devil disciples who buy them in the name of religion, p*** off to your backwoods of India.”
The poster also wrote that he would derive great pleasure from strangling them, watching them turn blue while their tongues popped out.
The comments drew a sharp backlash and the poster has since changed his tune, putting up a retraction letter.
In it he wrote: “I posted some remarks in anger yesterday and would like to apologise to those people I have offended. Anger is not an excuse and I realise the foolishness of my remarks was uncalled for. Once again my sincere apology and I will undertake to promote divali (sic) in a positive no-bangs manner.”
Screengrabs have also emerged of another post insulting Indians, related to fireworks.
The posts read: “F****** charos and their s***! No consideration! They are supposed to revere animals, with a cow being sacred, but as my friend from India once said, the f****** charos sent here from India to cut cane were all the low class rubbish with no morals, it shows!”
His post has also since been deleted.
ANC provincial secretary Super Zuma said: “Vulgar and offensive language hark back to the crude apartheid past and undermines the hard work in building social cohesion in our country.”
Zuma noted it was the ANC that protested against Penny Sparrow’s racist rant and took her to the Equality Court.
“We are determined to make an example of racists who chance their hand and think they will get away with it. Racists are a tiny, badly bred minority who must be isolated in our communities and be forced to bear the consequences of the actions. It is important that all our communities learn about each others’ practices and respect the right to freedom of religion,” Zuma said.
The party said they were in possession of screenshots of racist posts on social media and would refer them to the police, Human Rights commission and Equality Court.
Hindu Maha Sabha president Ashwin Trikamjee welcomed the statement by the ANC.
He said people were taking advantage of the soft nature of the Hindu community.
Trikamjee said he was shocked during the weekend at the racist posts about Diwali celebrations on Facebook. He said he complained to Facebook about the post and the page was promptly taken down.
He said the incident was a blot on a mostly successful Diwali.
Trikamjee said most people observed the rules of fireworks being used between 7pm to 10pm.
He said there had been few incidents of people using big-bangs. “After a long time there is a level of responsibility,” he added.
Trikamjee, a lawyer, said he was taking a keen interest in the hate speech legislation currently in Parliament.
The IFP also waded in on the matter.
Chief whip in Parliament Narend Singh said: “The level of hatred, religious intolerance and threats of violence towards Indians, and the Indian community at large in South Africa by (this person), must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
He said the party was in the process of laying a charge against the Facebook poster with the Human Rights Commission and want him to appear before the Equality Court to answer for his abhorrent remarks.
“Hate speech has no place in South Africa and must not be tolerated at any level. This is a direct contravention of the Equality Act, and must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted,” Singh said.
Daily News