EL resident in Facebook race rant

A CASE of crimen injuria has been opened against East London resident Riaan Barnard after he allegedly referred to Xhosa as “bobbejaantaal” (baboon language).

Barnard is alleged to have made the post on Facebook page Crime Spotter Buffalo City.

The page was created to alert the community about crime in their neighbourhoods.

However, a racial storm erupted on Saturday after a city resident complained about noise coming from the MetroFM Heatwave concert at the Buffalo City Stadium.

Resident Elmarie Geer put up a post on the page which read: “Please can something be done about the noice [sic] and music thats coming from the stadium … its very disturbing.”

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, Geer said it was not the music that was the problem but the volume of the speakers.

“It was the loud speakers that were annoying,” she said.

Her post led to a flurry of other comments, including one in Xhosa in which a woman used vulgar language.

The woman, named “Siphokazi”, was then asked to use English when posting.

Barnard then commented in Afrikaans saying: “Niemand verstaan bobbejaantaal nie” (No one understands baboon language).

Geer, who later deleted her post, said she was sorry to have stirred up the racial storm and that her comments were not directed at the music but the volume of sound coming from the speakers.

Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed a case of crimen injuria had been opened at the Cambridge police station against Barnard.

Attempts to reach Barnard for comment yesterday were unsuccessful. The Dispatch also sent questions to one of the listed administrators of Crime Spotter Buffalo City, Lorraine Pretorius, but no response had been received at the time of writing. —