AfriForum lays criminal charges regarding racist attacks on social media

18 June 2018 

The civil rights organisation AfriForum today submitted criminal charges against two police officials and a former member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) after they used social media to incite farm attacks and/or romanticise violence against farmers and minorities.

AfriForum says that these incidents can be considered a form of complicity by the South African government and that it urgently needs to be tackled by the police to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted.

Mseleni Mogolwane Gwabeni, who is a member of the SAPS according to his Facebook profile, said on this social media platform “then we must continue to kill more of their farmers at least to make up for what they did to us [sic]”.

Chris Gumotso, who works at the SAPS youth crime prevention desk according to his Facebook profile, placed the following on Facebook: “All white man…deserve to die…in future..fuck u..Mr white man [sic].” He also placed photos of firearms on his police desk on his profile with this quote: “I predict th civil war.. in mzansi…by 2019…take out ur guns…fighters coz Asijiki [sic].” 

Maj. Mageti Mohlala, former member of the SANDF (in whose dismissal AfriForum played an instrumental part), said in reaction to a photo of an attacked 80-year-old man that the attackers should have stabbed out his eyes and tongue so that they would have been the last people he ever saw and that he could have gone to his grave with this nightmare. He also said: “Apartheid is in him. All of these old white people think we are stupid when they say they were opposed to apartheid. We will not forget what they have done. Now it is the white people’s turn.” 

Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, who submitted the charges on behalf of the civil rights watchdog, says that the organisation considers these remarks in a very serious light and will push these matters to extremes.

“We are extremely concerned about the obvious double standards being enforced in the prosecution of people that commit racism or incite violence or hatred. AfriForum will monitor this matter meticulously to make sure that these offenders are prosecuted to the same extent,” concludes Roets. 

Issued by Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO, AfriForum, 18 June 2018