The equality court found the comments made by Maasdorp and Dubasi amounted to hate speech and ordered, as part of the remedy, that both apologise and that their apologies be communicated to the public by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
On Wednesday, the SAHRC shared Dubasi's apology letter dated April 28.
In it, he said he took full responsibility for the comments he made.
“The overall goal of my apology is to restore peace and promote social harmony in the broader society,” Dubasi said.
“I am acknowledging the harm done and apologise unconditionally as a right and critical step in making proper amends for the wounds I have inflicted on the families of the deceased children, Human Rights Commission and the broader society.”
The commission said it had not received an apology from Maasdorp.
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EX-BLF secretary-general apologises for hurtful comments after Hoërskool Driehoek tragedy
But SAHRC has not received an apology from BLF spokesperson Lindsay Maasdorp
Image: File/ Iavan Pijoos
Former Black First Land First (BLF) deputy secretary-general Zwelakhe Dubasi has apologised for utterances he made after the Hoërskool Driehoek tragedy which claimed the lives of four pupils in 2019.
But the party's national spokesperson, Lindsay Maasdorp, has yet to issue an apology.
The two were ordered to apologise by the equality court in March for comments they made on social media about white children who died when a bridge collapsed at the Vanderbijlpark school.
The court also ordered the two to pay the families of the deceased children R50,000 each within 30 days.
The court action was instituted by Solidarity and the victims' families. They had argued the pair had made comments celebrating the children's deaths that had propagated racial hatred.
Joy over children's deaths: BLF's Lindsay Maasdorp says he'll be in court this time
The equality court found the comments made by Maasdorp and Dubasi amounted to hate speech and ordered, as part of the remedy, that both apologise and that their apologies be communicated to the public by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
On Wednesday, the SAHRC shared Dubasi's apology letter dated April 28.
In it, he said he took full responsibility for the comments he made.
“The overall goal of my apology is to restore peace and promote social harmony in the broader society,” Dubasi said.
“I am acknowledging the harm done and apologise unconditionally as a right and critical step in making proper amends for the wounds I have inflicted on the families of the deceased children, Human Rights Commission and the broader society.”
The commission said it had not received an apology from Maasdorp.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
Hate speech: BLF duo must pay R50,000 to families of school tragedy
Equality Court must decide on hate speech case it did not rule on
About turn: Solidarity wants BLF hate speech court order to remain in force
I saw Driehoek horror: ‘Children fell from above’
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