Race speech inconsistency absurd, says AfriForum
AFRIFORUM expressed displeasure yesterday over the jail term given to convicted racist Vicki Momberg by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.
Momberg will effectively spend two years behind bars as one year of her three-year sentence was suspended on condition that she is not found guilty of committing a similar offence in the next three years.
The civil rights organisation said it considered the prison sentence imposed on Momberg a reaffirmation of the double standards in South Africa‚ especially regarding race.
“[The] inconsistency being applied in this country regarding minorities has reached the level of absurdity,” AfriForum deputy chief executive Ernst Roets said.
“The reality in South Africa is that a white person who insults a black person goes to prison‚ while a senior officer in the Defence Force who says that white people’s eyes and tongues must be stabbed out is simply asked nicely not to repeat it.”
Referring to EFF leader Julius Malema, Roets said: “In addition‚ an influential political leader talking about genocide is rewarded with an invitation to join the ruling party.”
AfriForum said it had, in the last year, laid charges against 113 people who had publicly incited rape‚ murder‚ assault and even genocide against white people.
“Up until now‚ no significant progress has been made with these cases‚” it said.
Reacting to the sentencing, prosecutor Yusuf Baba said: “People need to watch their tongues before they talk. There are consequences for your actions.”
He said while the media reported on race-related incidents‚ prosecutors saw many more cases than those that made the headlines.
“Harsher sentences must be meted out because of the abuse that takes place on a daily basis,” Baba said.
Baba said Momberg deserved a direct imprisonment sentence as she had hurled racial slurs more than once.
“This case is not only restricted to the video footage; the recordings that were played in court were much harsher than the video footage itself,” he said.
“You take all these [race-related] cases‚ the utterances were made once‚ but not in this case.
“It is time that the hate crimes bill be enforced because‚ looking at our courts and the number of increases in respect of these offences‚ it is time a loud message is sent to every race‚ every person in the country. This cannot go on anymore.”
He described Momberg’s case as the worst he had come across in a South African court.
“This is the first time in the history of our courts that the person seeking assistance becomes abusive to everybody,” Baba said.
Momberg went on a racist rant shortly after being a victim of a smash-and-grab in Johannesburg in 2016.
She loosely hurled the K-word 48 times at police officers and 10111 operators who had tried to assist following her ordeal.
Her tirade was caught on camera and the video soon went viral. – TimesLIVE