Nica Richards

By Nica Richards

Journalist


SA’s latest racist to get a slot on crimen injuria wall of fame

It is morbidly clear that the country is so accustomed to dealing with crimen injuria transgressors that we now know the drill - get proof, take screenshots, and try to get a photo of the person’s face. 


A scathing crimen injuria slur has once again waited until the festive season to rear its ugly head.

The latest in a string of racist comments on social media came after the announcement that South Africa had to reintroduce lockdown Level 3 regulations.

Until now, South Africa has dealt with a plethora of racial tension, but lockdown meant an unexpected turn in solidarity and unity as the country battled Covid-19 together.

But it takes just one status to bring this mirage to its knees.

The latest transgressor is a young woman named Beverley Kruger, who has since deleted all traces of her social media accounts.

This after posting a Facebook status on Tuesday that read: “Lockdown fokken 3… Kan julle klomp aapies op hou kak maak vir ons wit mense (sic)”.

Translated, it means “Can you bunch of apes stop making trouble for us white people.”

ALSO READ: Intentional exposure of others to Covid can see you charged with attempted murder in Joburg

Kruger did not bank on fast fingers screenshotting her status, a photo of her for good measure, and even found her cellphone number.

The Citizen reached out to Kruger, but no responses have been received so far.

It is morbidly clear that the country is so accustomed to dealing with crimen injuria transgressors that we now know the drill – get proof, take screenshots, and try to get a photo of the person’s face.

In October, Matoma Letsoalo was found guilty of crimen injuria, after tweeting anti-Semitic hate speech in 2018.

On 21 June 2018, the SAJBD was tagged in a post from Letsoalo reading: “@SAJBD The Holocaust will be like a picnic when we are done with all you Zionist bastards. Fuck all of you.”

Last year, Adam Catzevelos was found guilty of crimen injuria and was sentenced to a R50 000 fine or a suspended two-year jail term.

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.

However, all roads lead to the late Penny Sparrow, a former estate agent-turned convicted racist who died last year.

Sparrow posted a Facebook status in January 2016, describing black people on South African beaches as “monkeys who have no education”.

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