Hate speech case: Cosatu official's language directly targeted Jews, ConCourt hears
27 August 2019
The Constitutional Court heard arguments on Tuesday that the language in various statements made by Bongani Masuku, in his capacity as head of international relations for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), were a direct attack on the Jewish community.
"Let's deal with Masuku's statements and the question of whether they were targeted at Jews or not. He spoke of Zionists. We will submit that, in South Africa at a rowdy political meeting, Zionist in the context meant Jews.
"He did not identify them merely as Zionists, he spoke of 'friends of Hitler' - what else could that mean? It means Jews and nothing else," advocate Wim Trengove SC submitted on behalf of the applicants.
Trengove further submitted that Masuku had referred to the surburb of Orange Grove as a known "Jewish community".