Speaker Phindile Mahlaba arrived at the 17th ordinary council meeting in a T-shirt displaying hate speech on January 29.

The T-shirt donned the phrase ‘Kill the boer’, with the ‘ll’ was crossed out and replaced with ‘ss’, turning the phrase into ‘Kiss the boer’.

Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) councillors Wilma and Dankus Venter immediately objected and threatened to walk out of the meeting if Mahlaba did not change.

According to an FF Plus statement, Mahlaba complied and apologised to all councillors. The party did not take the complaint to the Ethical Committee.

“The council chamber is a place for service delivery, not political provocation,” stated the release.

Lubabalo Majenge, the spokesperson for the Lekwa Local Municipality, was asked to comment. He said he was in the meeting and did not see the speaker wearing such clothes.

After being sent photographic evidence, he reaffirmed his comment, stating that Speaker Mahlaba was not wearing this shirt in the live video.