I’m grateful for judgment and ruling – Adam Catzavelos after getting R50K fine

Convicted racist Adam Catzavelos has lauded Judge Hleziphe Nkasibe for his judgment which ruled that he be sentenced to a R50,000 fine or face a suspended two-year jail term, both of which were suspended for five years.

“I’m very relieved and very grateful that I had a very fair and reasonable judge and I’m very grateful for the judgment and ruling,” he told reporters outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.

Hleziphe, during sentencing, told the court that direct imprisonment or a fine was adequate for Catzavelos, who pleaded guilty to crimen injuria for using the k-word.

He said Catzavelos, a married father of three minor children, had lost employment as a result of his racial slurs.

Adding that Catzavelos was a first-time offender, the judge pointed out that Catzavelos had shown remorse for his actions.

The former businessman pleaded guilty to crimen injuria last year after using the k-word in a viral video clip.

In August 2018 Catzavelos shot a video of himself on holiday on a beach in Greece, saying: “Let me give you a weather forecast here. Blue skies, beautiful day, amazing sea and not one k***** in sight. F****** heaven on earth. You cannot beat this”. He sent the video to a WhatsApp group, which found its way into the public domain and went viral.

Adam Catzavelos leaves the Randburg Magistrates Court after sentencing, 28 February 2020. Picture: Michel Bega

The EFF in Gauteng laid criminal charges against Catzavelos. He was fired from his family business and banned from his children’s school before he issued an apology.

The EFF marched on his home and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) received more than 50 complaints against him.

They reached a settlement with him in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court of R150,000. He was to pay it off over 30 months.

Catzavelos pleaded guilty to a charge of crimen injuria in December.

This month he took the stand in mitigation of sentencing and said he was a changed man. He was accompanied to court by a group of his “gogos”, who argued in mitigation of his sentence, and revealed his nickname was now “Mxolisi”, which meant forgiveness.

(Compiled by Charles Cilliers and Gopolang Moloko)

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