Dianne Kohler Barnard is currently regretting having shared a post on Facebook calling for the return of Apartheid era leader PW Botha.
Botha's time in office was noted in part for its extreme brutality. Thousands of activists were detained, tortured and murdered by the state.
He also authorised air strikes on targets in Lusaka, Harare in Gabarone in an attempt to destroy the ANC.
When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found Botha guilty of gross violations of human rights - he refused to apologise.
According to EWN, Barnard claims that she shared in the comment in error - having not read it all the way through.
“They absolutely should be criticising me for sharing it. I unfortunately didn’t read the whole thing through. When it was pointed out to me, I deleted it immediately and now some weeks later someone has chosen to share it on Twitter and I have apologised again for having shared it on Facebook.”
Her party leader‚ Mmusi Maimane‚ had picked up on social media outrage‚ and took to Twitter: “The post by @DKB20 is indefensible. She has withdrawn it and apologized. now our internal disciplinary processes will be dealing with this.”
Kohler Barnard later retweeted Maimane’s scolding.
The offensive Facebook post by Kohler Barnard originated from former Citizen journalist Paul Kirk‚ who seemingly took issue with new national Hawks head Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza’s recent filing of court papers opposing suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Major-General Johan Booysen Booysen’s high court application to set aside his sidelining.
Kirk claimed the “ace detective” had been suspended “over a typing error”.
“This is a bloody circus‚” Kirk wrote.
“Please come back PW Botha. You were far more honest than any of these ANC rogues.”
Maybe someone should post something that starts off being massively complimentary and ends with the lines "Barnard is a little tea pot short and stout" to see if she shares that.
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