Councillor receives suspended fine

DA Councillor Dave Dewes has been found guilty of bringing his party into disrepute after comments he made at a fundraiser earlier the year.

Dewes was accused of making racial slurs after he used the Afrikaans words “keffertjie” (small yapping dog) and “Pekanese” (a flat-nose breed of dog).

Dewes had the following to say after he appeared before a disciplinary committee on 26 July.

“In my speech, I made reference to my absolute frustration as an opposition politician as an irritating, yapping little dog that continuously is kicked in the face whilst getting nowhere,” he explained.

“Using the words ‘keffertjie’ (to describe the barking, yapping dog) and ‘Pekinese’ (to describe the flattened face) was my using figurative language in Afrikaans.

“At no stage was there any racial slur or racist connotation. I was speaking in reference to myself. Unfortunately, people who are not Afrikaans speakers interpreted this totally incorrectly and I have been found guilty of bringing the DA into disrepute.”

Dewes also said it was unfortunate that in a racially divided South Africa an innocent remark was misinterpreted as offensive. Dewes was given a R10 000 suspended fine.

Councillor in hot water after alleged racist remarks

Ward 70 Councillor Dave Dewes (DA) is at the centre of a minor controversy – again.

According to an anonymous source Dewes allegedly is facing an internal DA disciplinary hearing on 26 July on charges that his comments at a DA fundraiser at the Barnyard Theatre in March have brought the DA into disrepute due to its racist undertones.

At the said fundraiser on 1 March Dewes allegedly asked the attendees in Afrikaans “onthou die ou dae hoe die keffertjies so geslaan is in die gesig, dat hy soos ‘n Pekinese gelyk het”.

The DA has labelled the comments “derogatory, insulting and inappropriate”. The words “keffertjie”, “Pekinese” and the implication of flat noses is believed to be playing on the K-word, ‘pikanien’ (a reference to a small black child) and an insult to the characteristics of a black person. The word “keffertjie” is Afrikaans though for a small dog that incessantly barks and a Pekinese in a flat-nosed dog.

Dewes has declined to comment but will do so at a later stage.

The Chairperson of the DA Gauteng Disciplinary Committee, Mervyn Cirota could not be reached for comment