Zuma to pay heavily for hate speech
Edward offended two ANC leaders
Edward Zuma has seven days to apologise to the South African public and pay two schools R30 000 each for hate speech he made against Derek Hanekom and Pravin Gordhan.
The South African Human Rights Commission applied to the Durban Equality Court last year to find Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma, guilty of hate speech and fine him R100 000 for an open letter to the pair.
In the letter Zuma described Gordhan and Hanekom as an “anti-majoritarian sell-out minority in the ANC who have brazenly and unabashedly spoken out against [then-president] Zuma on various whitemonopoly media platforms”.
He stated Gordhan was one of the most corrupt cadres who‚ like Gandhi‚ “sees black South Africans as low-class”, while Hanekom was a “white askari who will do anything to be an obstacle to radical economic transformation and to defend white monopoly privileges”.
The commission submitted that Zuma’s utterances painted the pair as proponents of white minority privilege and opponents of socioeconomic transformation.
Yesterday, the commission and Zuma reached a settlement. The conditions include that he submit to it a written apology to the public within seven days of the agreement. The commission will then publish the apology.
The commission had requested that Zuma jnr pay R60 000 to the Umthombo Secondary School in Howick. However, his attorney Ayanda Mkhwananzi said the initial agreement was for the money to be paid to Ohlange High School in Inanda.
Magistrate Irfaan Khallil said Ohlange High School had a significant history and was also impoverished, therefore he ruled that Zuma split the R60 000 between the schools.
“The parties should deem this matter as settled and finalised and undertake not to proceed with any further action flowing from the facts which were the subject matter of the litigation.
“In the event, however, that the respondent fails to comply with the terms of this agreement‚ the applicant will reserve its rights to proceed further action against the respondent‚” Khallil read into the court record.
Zuma arrived in court shortly before the proceedings and then asked to be excused. Khallil granted the request. –