Penny Sparrow breaks cover: ‘I didn't mean to insult anybody’

Penny Sparrow‚ the former estate agent who was fined R150 000 for likening black beachgoers to monkeys‚ has spoken up about her utterances.

In an interview with News24‚ Sparrow conceded that her Facebook status suggested black people were uneducated.

“Some of us have been educated better than others. I'm sure you know not to go around littering. Your automatic reaction is to find a bin‚ put it into your pocket or swallow your bubblegum. And it did come across as they [Equality Court] said‚” Sparrow said.

Sparrow was not present at the Equality Court hearing on Friday when the fine was meted out. Her daughter had told the court that her mother was not present as she was ill and had received death threats.

Sparrow said calling people monkeys was a term of endearment used by white people and was not a racial slur.

She said she called her own children monkeys‚ especially when they had been naughty.

Sparrow said she did not mean to insult anyone when she said it was black people who had littered the Scottburgh beach on New Year's Day.

“The things I said were read wrong. It was people in general. I wasn't saying it was black people or the ANC or DA. There were people of all colour‚” Sparrow said.

“[I feel] terrible. Terrible. I did not mean to insult anyone. I'm not a nasty person‚ I’m not an ugly person. I was born in East Africa‚ where my first language was a black language. I was brought up with black people. I find them to be wonderful people…I didn't mean to insult anybody‚ and I am apologetic‚ the way it came over looked like an insult.”

“The mess was shocking. The state of the beach upset me‚ that people of all kinds could be so clumsy and negative and cause all that litter‚ Sparrow said.

– TMG Digital