Silence 'repugnant' Hofmeyr‚ fellow old boy asks education MEC

One of Steve Hofmeyr’s fellow old boys from Grey College in Bloemfontein wants his performance at a primary school stopped.

Des Bailes has written to the Western Cape Education Department asking it to prevent the controversial Afrikaans singer from performing at Overberg Primary School in Caledon on April 20.

For years‚ Hofmeyr has courted controversy with remarks about the treatment of Afrikaners‚ and recently he lashed out at media coverage about the death of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Bailes said Hofmeyr was dividing the country with his remarks. “Mr Hofmeyr is notorious for his overt racism‚ with statements like ‘black people were the architects of apartheid’ and ‘certain aspects of apartheid were brilliant’‚” he said in a letter to education MEC Debbie Schäfer on Monday.

“How are the black learners to feel when this repugnant Afrikaner with racist views starts singing the old anthem and the apartheid flags start waving? There are many more suitable venues in Caledon where Mr Hofmeyer could perform his disgusting brand of Afrikaner racism.

“This has nothing to do with free speech but only respect and equality for all members of the community‚” he said‚ appealing to the Democratic Alliance to use this opportunity to take a stance against “racism and white privilege”.

Hofmeyr's assistant‚ Leeza Mulder‚ told TimesLIVE he was performing on a boat but she would try to contact him.

Mulder also said the performance was not for the pupils but for those who had bought tickets in the town. “We are just using he venue. It is the church that hired the school hall‚” she said.

At the weekend Bailes also wrote to councillors in Kraaifontein‚ where Hofmeyr will be performing at the town hall.

“I call for the immediate cancellation of this concert and the dismissal of those responsible for sanctioning this disgraceful racist event‚” he said.