A handful of the racist Tweets and messages read:
Mathandazo Wabo Lova (@JabulaniKhesa)
Dear White People
What’s happening with #KnysnaFire is called #Vutha and only black people can save you from it, just bring the land back.
Savagéé (@KeNegroAkere)
I actually smiled when I saw that Knysna is going thru it all, ‘cause we all know what the majority of the population is there [emoji]
Mlunguza Mthembu Luxolo
Pray this great #capestorm is here to take white people away to Europe. #WantOurLand
Black_X (@XMhehlomakulu)
Dear Jesus please let the storm take a few white people, I’m kidding [emoji] not a few [emojis] #capestorm
You (@IsaacKgafela)
Europeans are finally evacuating izwe lethu? #KnysnaFire
Busisiwe Seabe (@Ms_BSeabe)
If only the #KnysnaFire targeted specific people only…we can only dream right!
Afriforum denounced these posts which they say are clearly racist.
Guido Urlings, Campaign Officer at AfriForum says “the sentiments so openly expressed in these social media posts are extremely troublesome and we will ask the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for an immediate investigation. In addition, we will include these posts in the mass hate speech complaint that AfriForum will soon lay with the South African Police Service (SAPS)”.
AfriForum will also consider the possibility of instituting civil litigation against the individuals responsible for these callous posts if the complaints with the SAHRC or SAPS do not yield any results.
“We would like to encourage these individuals and communities to come together and provide the necessary aid to all those affected by the recent and ongoing events, rather than spewing racism,” Urlings says.
AfriForum encourages members of the public who encounter similar posts of racism or hate speech on social media to email screenshots of these posts to rasklag@afriforum.co.za.
