Black people often use the k-word, Ngwenya tells court in racism trial

Magistrate Pravina Raghunandan expressed shock at hearing politically connected businessman Peter-Paul Ngwenya claim that "the k-word" is commonly used among black people.

Ngwenya‚ who spent almost five years in prison on Robben Island‚ is facing a charge of crimen injuria for allegedly calling Investec chief executive Fani Titi a k****r in a text message.

In the same SMS‚ Ngwenya warned Aqeel Patel‚ the managing director of MRC Media: "You will bleed”.

He also said that Titi would "see his mother", which Titi regarded as a threat to his life since Ngwenya knew that his mother had died.

The conflict between Ngwenya and Titi‚ who had been friends for 20 years‚ stems from a multimillion-rand deal that went sour. Ngwenya claims that Titi owes him close to R54m.

The relationship degenerated when Ngwenya allegedly called Free State-born Titi a "Qwaqwa k****r" and a "Bantustan boss" in an SMS intended for Patel.

On Wednesday, Ngwenya told the Randburg Magistrate's Court that the k-word was commonly used among black people to describe one's conduct.

Asked if he considered the term “Qwaqwa k****r” derogatory, Ngwenya said that he did. However, he said that "if used by a black person to another, it is used to refer to behaviour and conduct".

"In South Africa, racist whites use it to undermine black people. Among black people it is commonly used to describe the behaviour of a person and to confirm the stereotype that black people are like this [liars]," said Ngwenya.

Ngwenya said he did not think he had infringed Titi's rights by using the word against him. He also told the court that he did not have any animosity towards Titi because he was Sotho speaking. "I'm not a tribalist," he said.

Raghunandan asked Ngwenya if he was sure that the use of the word was common in black communities. "So you say this word is commonly used?" she asked.

Ngwenya replied that it was the culture of black people to use the word among themselves.

"It's shocking that it's the culture," said Raghunandan.

The case was postponed to March 13 for closing arguments.