Steve Hofmeyr objects to Mashaba calling Zindzi Mandela ‘Her Excellency’

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba received backlash after taking to Twitter to post pictures of a function he attended.

He was hosted by South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark, “Her Excellency” Zindzi Mandela, and Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr responded: “Her what?”

Mashaba responded to one tweet, from a man who called Mandela “racist trash” and to Hofmeyr taking exception to the mayor referring to her as “Her Excellency” by calling its sender “sick”.

“We live with sick people in this world. Just imagine if we start charging those who committed human rights abuses, apartheid, recognised by the world, you, your family and ancestors would be in huge trouble,” he tweeted.

The tweet Mashaba was responding to also called for Mandela to be “charged” and “arrested” and accused Mashaba of “double standards”.

READ MORE: Zindzi Mandela lashes out at ‘trembling white cowards’ and ‘shivering land thieves’

Mashaba’s original tweet received several other negative reactions, from people calling Mandela names such as “her excellency of racism”, “the racist from Denmark”, and even a “racist pig”.

The hatred directed towards the ambassador stems from a series of tweets Mandela posted in June, with the hashtag #OurLand.

A tweet: “Dear Apartheid Apologists, your time is over. You will not rule again. We do not fear you. Finally, #TheLandIsOurs” received a negative reaction from some white South Africans which in turn led to a series of tweets which caused outrage, but were also defended by some.

These included a tweet about “trembling white cowards” who are the “thieving rapist descendants of Van Riebeck [sic]” and one saying that Zindzi was “wondering how the world of shivering land thieves is doing” while out “wining and dining” at a restaurant.

Minority rights lobby group AfriForum laid a charge of hate speech against Mandela at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and unsuccessfully lobbied for her to be fired as ambassador.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman.)

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