Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The Equality Court will hear the hare speech case against Bongi Tsoleli, MMC for IDP and Performance in Mangaung Metro Municipality (MMM).
Postponed last year, the case will be heard over two days from the 6-7 March 2025.
This, after Stefanie Lockman-Naidoo, former Speaker of MMM approached South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the message forwarded by Tsoleli in the WhatsApp group administered by Claudia Mosoeu.
The message had three pictures of Lockman-Naidoo with her husband with the following caption:
“People of Mangaung do not be stupid, that Indian guy is family of the husband of the speaker, Stefanie Lockman Naidoo! Before she came, we had no Indians in Mangaung , and she is bringing them to eat Bloemfontein Money.”
The text was sent in the group at 18h09 on the 2 March 2022 from a number matching Tsoleli’s cellphone number on the MMM website.
Lockman-Naidoo in her affidavit cites Section 10(1) of the Equality Act which prohibits the: publication, propagation, advocating or communicating of what is defined as “hate speech”.
She concluded:
– I accordingly contend that my right to human dignity has been violated because the Respondent discriminated against Indian people when she forwarded the message on the WhatsApp group, including photos of me and my husband.
– My right to human dignity has been violated as a person upon seeing what the Respondent had published I felt insulted, humiliated and my dignity as a person who is married to an Indian was eroded by the Respondent.
– My right to human dignity was also violated by the Respondent based on prejudice and stereotype.
The ANC in Mangaung and Kaizer Sebothelo House is yet to release a statement.
It’s not the first time ANC members are embroiled in racial discrimination in Free State.
Nkosinjani Speelman, former Matjhabeng Municipality Executive Mayor was also hauled before the SAHRC after referring to coloureds as “boesman”.
Speelman did apologise and the ANC suspended him with Thabo Meeko, former spokesperson for the party saying the ANC was “embarrassed”.
With local government elections slowly approaching, how the ANC deals with coloureds in Free State will be key as Patriotic Alliance will be pouncing.
This is a developing story.
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