Well, nothing in a physical businesses-are burning kind of way.

What did happen, put my dreams of a racially united South African society on hold again.

Masses of black residents took to the streets (as is their democratic right) to protest an assault that should never have taken place.

Some of my colleagues were on the scene, armed with cameras and notepads.

The march started at the Tzaneen Municipal library and worked its way (in a relatively orderly fashion) towards the Tzaneen Magistrates court where the two men were on trial for assault.

Let’s jump forward to later on Monday night.

The judge’s decision was out and the two men received stiff prison terms.

Two years for Van Dyk and a year and a half for Le Roux.

The Herald posted a photo of the two men in court on our Facebook page with the prison terms they received.

Suddenly all hell broke loose, with residents at each other’s throats.

The poison and bile, evident in these comments took my breath away.

Threats of murder and rape were uttered with the same ease as a friendly morning greeting between friends.

Farm murders and crimes against white residents were measured against drunken assaults on black residents, hate against hate and blood against blood. Keyboard warriors on both sides bashing away to prove their side’s worth.

In the end the Herald had to delete the post and the comments, because that seems to be the way we handle conflict in our country, by deleting the problem, instead of engaging one another and finding a way of moving forward.

Last night I sat at home following the comment war on the Herald’s Facebook.

Thinking of Madiba and the change of mindset he brought with him when he walked out of Vic Verster prison’s main gates so so long ago.

I thought of my two colleagues at the anti-racism march. One white girl and one Indian girl. The white girl was told she had to stay with our black colleagues because she would be assaulted otherwise and the Indian girl was told flat out she had to leave, no Indians were welcome at the march.

I sat there, trying to wrap my head around the anger and the hate and could for the life of me not even begin to understand it.

The next moment I heard the beep of an incoming message.

I opened the Herald’s inbox and what did I find? Another video of another white on black assault, this time in Phalaborwa.

And suddenly I felt the same flame of anger for a second, burning up my insides.

Read on Letaba Herald’s website: Jail time for two after attack