Constitutional Court dismisses appeal against Ernst Roets about flag tweet

19 November 2019  

AfriForum welcomes the Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss the appeal of the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) regarding the flag tweet case. The Court informed AfriForum and the NMF today that it would not be in the interest of justice for the appeal to be heard.

This follows the NMF’s application to the Constitutional Court that the charge of alleged contempt of court by Ernst Roets, AfriForum’s Head of Policy and Strategy, be taken on appeal. The South Gauteng High Court dismissed the case against Roets earlier this year.

The NMF alleged that Roets committed contempt of court when he tweeted a picture of the 1928 flag (the old South African flag) and asked whether it was hate speech. The NMF also alleged that Roets was in contempt of court for stating that judges are humans and that humans can make mistakes.

“This is a confirmation that the NMF is busy with its own political agenda, which comes down to nothing more than a witch-hunt – a witch-hunt that cannot be justified on the basis of law,” says Roets.

We have just received this order by the Constitutional Court, stating that it is NOT in the interest of justice for the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s case to have me imprisoned for a tweet to be heard by them. Press statement to follow... pic.twitter.com/rpxoULiENk

— Ernst Roets (@ErnstRoets) November 19, 2019

Issued by Hesti Steenkamp, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 19 November 2019