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Media Statement: Apology by Mr Zwelakhe Dubasi, former Deputy Secretary General of Black First Land First following utterances made after the death of three white learners at Driehoek Hoerskool
Attention: Editors and Reporters
21 September 2022
In the matter of Solidarity & Another v Black First Land First & 2 Others EQ2/19 Equality Court Gauteng Local Division, a complaint of hate speech in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (‘the Equality Act’), was instituted against the Black First Land First (First Respondent) and two members of Black First Land First (the Second and Third Respondents) for comments they made following the death of three white learners arising from the collapse of a bridge at Driehoek Hoerskool in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
In the judgment, handed down 2 March 2022, the Equality Court found that the comments, made by Mr Lindsay Maasdorp, the second respondent and Mr Zwelakhe Dubasi, third respondent, amounted to hate speech and ordered, as part of the remedy, that both should apologise and that their apologies be communicated to the South African public by the South African Human Rights Commission. To access the judgement please follow the link https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/Solidarity%20v%20BLF%20EQC%20Judgment%20U.pdf
Third respondent, Mr Zwelake Dubasi, has since communicated his apology to the Commission. His apology can be accessed via the following link https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/Zwelakhe%20Dubasi%20Apology.pdf
The Commission did not receive an apology from Mr Lindsay Maasdorp.
ENDS
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
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