Cape Town – The South African cabinet on Thursday condemned what it called “blatant racism displayed by some individuals in the country, particularly on social network platforms.”
The cabinet said in a statement after a fortnightly meeting that “such behaviour goes against the ethos of our constitution, enshrined responsibilities and values, and violates the rights of our people.”
In particular, the cabinet lamented the comments attributed to a senior member of the judiciary, the High Court Judge Mabel Jansen.
It said in a Facebook conversation with social justice activist Gillian Schutte on Saturday that Jansen posted messages suggesting that rape was an ingrained part of black people’s culture.
Jansen’s comments sparked outrage from members of the legal fraternity, political parties and ordinary South Africans.
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, granted special leave to Judge Jansen following complaints over her racial remarks.
“The pronouncements especially by an esteemed member of the judiciary are not in keeping with what our society expects from members of the judiciary,’’ the cabinet said.
It said the Judiciary should always act impartially and in a manner that is beyond reproach.
“Tolerance and respect has been a cornerstone of our struggle for freedom and remains an essential part of South Africa’s democratic foundation.
“Let us unite again to jointly defeat the divisiveness of racism in our society,’’ the cabinet said.
Jansen’s remarks have added fuel to a new wave of racial tension that has gripped South Africa since the beginning of this year.
It said that when Penny Sparrow, an estate agent, labelled black revelers on public beaches in Durban during the New Year as “monkeys”, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress laid charges of crimen injuria against Sparrow and other individuals for promoting racism on social media. (Xinhua/NAN)