Calls for ‘ape’ woman’s arrest while she hides
A KWAZULU-NATAL woman who referred to President Cyril Ramaphosa as “an ape trying to act like a first world president” in a social media post this week, has gone to ground.
The woman, from the Upper Highway area, whose name is known to the Independent on Saturday, appeared to have deleted her social media platforms as the furore grew on Thursday and yesterday over the presidential insult, with hashtags of the woman’s name and calling for her arrest on Twitter.
Calls to her phone went straight to voicemail and there was no reply to an SMS asking her for comment yesterday.
The Facebook comment was brought to the attention of police on Wednesday when a Brighton Beach resident, who wished to remain anonymous, laid a charge against the woman after seeing her post being shared on a WhatsApp group, and found it offensive and racist.
Because a charge has been laid, she cannot be named until her identity is confirmed and she appears in court.
SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo confirmed yesterday that a case of crimen injuria had been opened.
Another media outlet reported it had made brief contact with the woman who said the comment had been “blown out of proportion and I apologise profusely”.
A picture of the alleged poster was being shared widely on Twitter with comments such as: Uhlanganaphi: “Can we Durbanites be allowed to go out and look for a certain # ****** today? I promise I won’t be long. Please just for today, we will find her, bring her to justice and go back to being on #Lockdown”
Brita Lombard: “Has # ***** been found? She doesn’t represent the majority of us whites, She’s just a brainless, stupid b***ch who deserves punishment. Sorry @CyrilRamaphosa, you are a great leader.”
Vicky Abdul: “How difficult is it to reason with an adult retard? You madam have violated South Africans”
Mr Zero Music: “Jail is where you belong”.
Nomthi Mlungu: “I’m so disgusted. Can this woman be traced and disciplined please okes”.
Alidalidalida: “What she says has nothing to do with race and everything about what goes on in her heart. Sis on her !!”
Lebohang asked “Black Twitter who is this and when will she be arrested?”, while others called for her to be named in mainstream media.