Afriforum is unhappy with the apology of a University of Pretoria student found guilty of hate speech recently.
The Equality Court in Pretoria last Friday found Luvuyo Menziwa guilty of hate speech and incitement to violence and ordered him to apologise within five days.
In a post dated 12 March, he wrote:
“Attached is the apology letter coupled with the initial post I made in August 2016. This comes after the court has ordered me to make my apology public using the same platform I used when I made my remarks about white people.”
“Hope it is in order and that it will be received in good spirit as I apologise unconditionally.”
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However, Afriforum spokesperson Henk Maree said the apology was unacceptable in its current form.
“We have written him requesting that he rewrites the apology on a Word document so that it’s clear to everyone.”
He said Afriforum was still awaiting a response from Menziwa.
Menziwa, who was an SRC member, posted on Facebook two years ago: “Reasons I hate white people: white privilege, white dominance, white arrogance, white monopoly capital and white superiority. F**k white people, just get me a bazooka or AK47 so I can do the right thing and kill these demon possessed humans.”
Afriforum welcomed the court ruling but said the punishment was lenient.
“Those, regardless of their colour, who make themselves guilty of hate speech and incitement to violence should be punished by the courts,” the organisation said in a statement.
“Menziwa’s punishment is not nearly as severe as that of Penny Sparrow, even though Menziwa’s statement contained an element of violence.”
Sparrow was ordered to pay R150 000 after pleading guilty to a charge of crimen injuria for comparing black people to monkeys.
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The court also ordered Menziwa to perform 30-hours of community service in poor white communities.
Maree said Afriforum was still identifying areas where Menziwa would do community service.
Menziwa must complete his community service by the end of the year.
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