The South African Human Rights Commission has noted and condemned with “serious concern” alleged racial utterances made by a minor on social media platform TikTok.
By Ntombi Nkosi
THE SOUTH African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has noted and condemned with “serious concern” alleged racial utterances made by a minor on social media platform TikTok.
The incident made headlines this week after a video, described as “racist and derogatory,” went viral on social media. In the video, a Northern Cape high school learner used the K-word and the N-word towards a black content creator.
The learner from Hoërskool Duineveld in Upington, during a live video with @UncleSeeno, the content creator, repeatedly used the K-word as his three friends laughed in the background.
The chairperson of the portfolio committee on basic education, Joy Maimela, condemned the “racist and derogatory” video.
“This learner was born in a free and democratic SA … so this is unexpected. It is shocking. It is disappointing. It is hurtful that he can spew such remarks. This needs the attention of authorities at the highest level. It cannot be tolerated,” said Maimela.
She added that considering the painful history of racism and discrimination in South Africa, the country has taken a zero-tolerance to such behaviour and utterances. “We need urgent action on the matter,” she said.
Maimela said further: “The committee calls on parents, communities, organisations, and schools to increase programmes and engagements on life skills to stem such behaviour. Raising well-rounded children is the responsibility of all of us”.
The video, with over a million views on social media, prompted some users to search until they found the culprit’s identity, his address and his school.
Hoërskool Duineveld issued a statement in Afrikaans distancing themselves from the incident.
“Hoërskool Duineveld regrets the incident that recently took place on social media and we express ourselves strongly against any discriminatory statements relating to race, religion, politics and gender … Our school cultivates a culture of respect and tolerance for each other and therefore distancing Hoërskool Duineveld from individuals or organisations whose comments, or actions are in conflict with our values.
“We are working tirelessly to follow instructions closely in order to deal with this regrettable incident in totality,” said the school.
The SAHRC said that what is more disturbing is that these alleged utterances were repeatedly expressed by the minor on the social platform, 30 years after apartheid.
The Commission said it has been inundated with messages on its social media platforms from aggrieved members of the public calling for action to be taken against the perpetrator.
SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi stated that after learning of the alarming incident, the Commission, through its Northern Cape provincial office, initiated an investigation under its constitutional mandate as outlined in Section 184. This section empowers the SAHRC to promote, protect, and advance human rights in South Africa. Additionally, the Constitution authorises the Commission to take necessary actions to ensure appropriate redress when human rights violations occur.
”As part of the assessment process, the Commission has already met with the Northern Cape Department of Education to gather facts and information on steps taken thus far on the matter. The Commission will be visiting the school to gather more facts and assist the school in conducting a fair, decisive and holistic investigation with the view of also assessing the overall environment and culture of the school as far as the inculcation of values of social cohesion, social justice and diversity are concerned,” said Baloyi.
He said the Commission commends Hoërskool Duineveld for publicly denouncing the incident and expressing its stance that it is against any discriminating utterances regarding race, religion, politics and gender.
“The Commission would like to reiterate to members of the public that Equality Courts are freely accessible. Individuals and groups can approach Equality Courts and lodge complaints free of charge and without the assistance of a lawyer. Equality courts are specialised courts designated to hear matters relating to unfair discrimination, hate speech and harassment. All Magistrate Courts are designated as Equality Courts,” he said.
The Commission encouraged members of the public experiencing racism and other human rights violations to lodge complaints. Complaint forms can be accessed here
“Finally, the Commission would like to acknowledge the active citizenry shown by members of the public to alert the Commission whenever they observe allegations of human rights violations. The Commission will update the public on the progress of our own accord investigation,” Baloyi said.
