Widespread condemnation of Facebook post

THE SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) yesterday said it was “with a sense of déjà vu” that it condemned “yet another South African‚ Ben Sasanof‚ for offensive comments he made concerning the Durban beachfront this weekend”.

It noted that it was “just one year after Penny Sparrow reached notoriety for her racist comments about beachgoers on the Durban coast”.

There was outrage after Sasonof posted on Facebook: “Eh eh Wena … must have smelt like the inside of Zuma’s a**hole”.

SAJBD spokesperson Charisse Zeifert said: “All forms of racism are unacceptable in a South Africa where we strive daily to build a culture based on human rights and principles of dignity and freedom for all of who live in it.

“The SAJBD calls on all South Africans to stand up and fight against discrimination wherever it is found.

“We have just celebrated Reconciliation Day‚ and now more than ever‚ we should be dedicated to building a non-racist country.”

Zeifert added that “the SAJBD hoped to see the implementation of the Hate Crimes Bill so that racism can be identified and appropriately sanctioned”.

Earlier‚ the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) called on the South African Human Rights Commission “to investigate racist comments allegedly posted by a Sandton man on a picture of a packed Durban beachfront over the weekend”.

Sanco’s Jabu Mahlangu said yesterday: “We wish to condemn in the strongest terms possible the alleged provocative insults which seek to rekindle racial hatred and polarise racial relations in our society.”

He also called for “criminal charges to be laid against Ben Sasonof”.

“Vitriolic and barbaric comments of this nature have no place in the united‚ non-racial‚ non-sexist‚ equal‚ prosperous and democratic society we are striving to build‚” Mahlangu said.

News 24 reported on Sunday that Sasonof said of his post: “At no point was I racist.”

His comments come less than a year after retired South Coast estate agent Penny Sparrow caused widespread outrage when she compared black people on beaches to “monkeys”.

Last week‚ TMG Digital reported that Sparrow had paid neither of the court-ordered fines for her racist rant.

The 68-year-old had‚ in June‚ been ordered by the Umzinto Equality Court to pay R150 000 to the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation after being found guilty of hate speech.

In September‚ Sparrow was fined R5 000 or 12 months’ imprisonment‚ in addition to two years’ imprisonment suspended for five years in the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on condition that she did not commit a similar offence‚ and apologised on Facebook. — TMG Digital