Businessman Peter-Paul Ngwenya has claimed that he used a racial slur to refer to his longtime friend Fani Titi's conduct, and not to degrade him.
"[When referring to k*ff*r"] I'm not describing the person. It's the conduct I'm referring to," Ngwenya said in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Ngwenya is facing a charge of crimen injuria for allegedly using the term in reference to Investec CEO Titi in a text message.
Ngwenya said the word "k*ff*r" had a similar meaning to "n**ga", a term used by many black people in America. Within his circle of friends, reference to that word was made to describe a person's conduct.
"Within my community, it is used. I'm aware that it's unacceptable if used by whites against non-whites."