RACIST RANT: ‘A HISTORIC VICTORY’
‘Strong signal to Hindu bashers: stop or be stopped’
AMAN who referred to Indians as “lowclass rubbish with no morals” is set to pay the price for his racist comments on social media.
Alexander James Williams “Will” MacGibbon has struck a deal with the SA Hindu Dharma Sabha, which hauled him before the Equality Court.
In terms of the settlement, which was made an order of court on Monday, MacGibbon has to apologise to the Hindu community within 10 days, pay a fine of R20 000 to the Aryan Benevolent Home in Chatsworth, and serve 50 hours of community service at the Ramakrishna Centre.
MacGibbon sat with his arms folded and a stern look on his face at the court hearing with Sabha president Ram Maharaj, SA Human Rights Commission advocate Pabershree Padayachee and his attorney Garry Bell, from Lister and Co.
Soon after chief magistrate Sakhisene Mzimele recorded the settlement, MacGibbon quickly shook Maharaj’s hand and left.
He declined to offer his apology via POST.
MacGibbon was taken to court under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act after he posted a racist rant on Facebook during Diwali celebrations in October 2016.
The post, which went viral, reads: “F ****** charos and their s***! No consideration! They are supposed to revere animals, with a cow being sacred, but as my friend from India once said, the ‘f ****** charos sent here from India to cut cane were all low class rubbish with no morals’, it shows!”
MacGibbon quickly deactivated his account but not before screen shots of his post were shared widely, sparking outrage in the Indian community.
He was suspended as chairman of Mount Edgecombe-based company, Interflex Conveyor Belting.
Maharaj, who referred to MacGibbon’s comments as “deeply demeaning and invasive of human dignity”, approached the human rights commission to crack the whip on him.
The commission instituted the Equality Court application against MacGibbon.
Maharaj said the settlement marked a historic victory for the Hindu community.
“The South African Hindu Darma Sabha hopes to send a strong signal to Hindu bashers to stop or be stopped,” he said. “We will not allow our glorious Hindu religion and culture to be trampled upon with impunity.”
He said the Sabha had fought for a long time for the use of fireworks during Diwali without “retreat or defeat” and would continue to fight to protect and promote the rights of Hindus.
Roy Ramnath, a member at the Sabha, added: “It is a great achievement to have won this case.
“It was a fair decision especially when remarks of such nature are made.”
Bell told he and his client were happy that the matter had been settled, “and that it was for the benefit of all parties, but we cannot comment further”.
South Africans are no strangers to racist rants.
Dawie Kriel was charged with crimen injuria after he posted that he could “strangle you morons (Indians) with my bare hands and derive great pleasure in watching your face turn blue and your tongue pop out”.
Kriel was sentenced in the Durban Magistrate’s Court in March last year to a R6 000 fine or 12 months in prison, wholly suspended for five years.
Former real estate agent Vicki Momberg was sentenced to an effective two years in prison by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court after she went on a racist rant and hurled the k-word 48 times at police officers who were trying to assist her.
Real estate agent Penny Sparrow, who referred to black people as “monkeys”, was recently slapped with a R150 000 fine by the Equality Court.
South African actor Rajesh Gopie was accused of hate speech when he recently called rioting soccer fans “baboons”.
MacGibbon is set to start his community service at the Ramakrishna Centre, a nonprofit spiritual and public benefit organisation, within two weeks.