AfriForum today lodged a charge of hate speech with the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) against Juda Dagane, a police officer, and appealed to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to dismiss Dagane. This comes after the publication in Beeld of blatant racist utterances Dagane had recently made on a Facebook page which was started in support of Julius Malema.
“When the black Messiah (Nelson Mandela) dies, we’ll teach the whites. We’ll commit genocide against them: I hate whites,” Dagane posted on the Facebook page on 19 November, according to the report in Beeld. Dagane added that whites have no place in their (“our”) hearts and thoughts. In another entry made on 7 December, Dagane said he is in the employ of the SAPS. The entries have since been removed, and the police have given an undertaking to investigate the matter.
AfriForum’s deputy CEO, Ernst Roets, lodged the charge with the HRC. “Dagane’s utterances are more than just a blatant form of hate speech. It is incitement to violence and even murder,” Roets said. AfriForum also appealed to the SAPS to remove Dagane from his position, and threatened to take further action against Dagane and the SAPS should his behaviour not be addressed.
“No person has the right to make such utterances. However, coming from an SAPS officer, such statements are cause for grave concern. In order to protect its reputation, the SAPS will have to take definite steps against Dagane,” Roets added.
AfriForum will monitor the Police Service’s investigation into Dagane.
