Animal rights activists on the beach, and elsewhere in South Africa, claimed that slaughtering a sheep as a sign of fighting racism amounted to animal brutality.
The incident was the latest in the saga that unfolded after beachgoers, who were largely black – although there were also white beachgoers among them – were instructed to leave the beach by a private security company.
The actions by the private security company, PPA, sparked outrage, with many people drawing parallels between that and apartheid-era legislation and action which saw black people prohibited from frequenting beaches set aside for whites.
On Friday evening, a group of several hundred people gathered on the beach as part of a protest against the controversial move and to fight against racism and declaring their intention of claiming back the city.
The sheep was dragged on to the beach as part of the ceremony and traditional incense called impepho was burnt as part of sending a message to ancestors.
When Naude shared a news article about the incident, he wrote in Afrikaans that “k***irs will remain barbarians”. The post no longer seems to appear on his timeline, though other posts featuring the k-word still litter his account.
Here are some of the other public posts on Naude’s public profile.
The use of the highly politically charged and sensitive k-word is considered crimen injuria in South Africa.
.
.
The Citizen has attempted to contact Naude for comment and to ask if he stands by his opinion. We shall update this story if he replies.
Based on his public profile, Naude is a fervent Blue Bulls rugby supporter, loves US president Donald Trump, claims to be a highly committed Christian and has great enthusiasm for fishing. He lists on Facebook that he was drafted into military service in 1984.
Even casual usage of the k-word often has severe repercussions, with the recent example of Adam Catzavelos using the k-word in a video while on a beach holiday in Greece. Catzavelos issued a statement in which he apologised for his “unfortunate video”, but it did not stop the fallout.
He reportedly declined to return to South Africa in August this year after the massive outrage that followed. His family reportedly had to close their family business, St George’s Fine Foods, after a number of companies they worked with terminated their contracts.
Their restaurant, Smokehouse and Grill, situated in Braamfontein, also closed for business.
The Economic Freedom Fighters laid a criminal charge of racism against Catzavelos at the Bramley Police Station in Johannesburg and marched on his home in Edenvale. The Human Rights Commission also said they would investigate the matter.