Hate: SA's 12th language

05 January 2016 - 02:31 By Azizzar Mosupi

The increasing prevalence of racially charged conversations in South Africa is as a result of growing dissatisfaction with the current state of the country. This is according to Gabriela Mackay, an analyst with the South African Institute of Race Relations, and comes in light of the racist comments made by KwaZulu-Natal estate agent, Penny Sparrow.Global Investment Strategist at Standard Bank, Chris Hart, also got into trouble for comments that were deemed offensive.Said Mackay: "We face a bigger problem in that the country is still extremely racially divided. We definitely haven't gotten over the racial issues faced pre-1994."The government's current policies and the way things are being run means greater dissatisfaction. Anything can spark something bigger because of the overall simmering dissatisfaction with the state of the country."Sparrow referred to black people as "monkeys" on social media, where she was lamenting the overcrowding and dirty state of a Durban beach over the festive season.Hart in a separate string of tweets said: "More than 25 years after apartheid ended, the victims are increasing along with a sense of entitlement and hatred towards minorities."The DA still feeling the ill-effects of Dianne Kohler Barnard reposting a controversial Facebook message, has laid charges of crimen injuria against Sparrow "for infringing the dignity of all South Africans and for dehumanising black South Africans".Its KwaZulu-Natal branch has also issued notice to have Sparrow's membership of the DA suspended and has referred her conduct to the Federal Legal Commission for investigation.ANC provincial spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli said: " Sparrow's comments tell us that she misses the time when prime beaches were reserved for white people only."Standard Bank has distanced itself from Hart's tweets saying "The comments made by him are factually incorrect, make inappropriate assumptions about South Africa and have racist undertones."Disciplinary procedures were instituted against Hart and by yesterday afternoon he had been placed on suspension...

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