DURBAN - ANC stalwart and prominent businessman Visvin Reddy has laid criminal charges against “Nkuleko Mkhize” who made anti-Indian comments on Facebook, saying: “we will kill them and they should go back to India”.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of crimen injuria was being investigated by Malvern SAPS.
The identity of the suspect is under scrutiny with many Facebook users believing he could be running a fake profile.
In a thread of Facebook comments, “Mkhize” posted: “I think it’s time to show Indians that they are not welcome here. A new day after the Indians go back to India or we will kill them like that girl shot in Chatsworth (sic).”
Mkhize was referring to the shooting of nine-year-old Sadia Sukhraj who was killed in a botched hijacking on Monday.
Thousands of people have been sharing screen grabs of Mkhize’s comments, calling for action to be taken against him.
Screengrab of the post circulating on Facebook
Reddy said even though he was wary that the profile could be fake, he didn’t want to take any chances.
“This is how criminals operate. They try to divide society when everyone is getting along well with each other. Something like this could lead to violence. We should not let it get to that,” said Reddy.
KZN Premier Willies Mchunu also spoke out on the anti-Indian Facebook comments yesterday. In a statement, he condemned the remarks.
“Steps are under way to identify the perpetrator and do the necessary to prosecute the persons involved. We also urge citizens to desist from circulating divisive messages on social media. Fake news only serves to destabilise our society,” said Mchunu.