An SAHRC order that Capetonian Matthew Theunissen must carry out sport community service following his racist rants should serve as a lesson for others, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Monday.<\/p>\n
“The restorative measures the commission has recommended should serve as a teaching moment to racist people who believe some sporting codes are an exclusive right of one race against the other,” Mbalula said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Last week, the SA Human Rights Commission\u00a0announced that a settlement agreement had been reached with Theunissen \u2013 who had vented on Facebook about transformation\u00a0in sport\u00a0\u2013\u00a0whereby he will do community service for sports development in a disadvantaged part of Cape Town.<\/p>\n
“Considerate to the SAHRC constitutional limits and principles of pursuing restorative, rather than punitive justice sanctions, Minister Mbalula accepts and trusts the recommendations will be implemented fully.<\/p>\n
“We will continue working with our fellow compatriots, black and white, to transform sport. Racism slows our transformation agenda and has no space in our society,” said the minister.<\/p>\n
On April 25, Mbalula announced that he had banned the country’s cricket, rugby, netball and athletics bodies from bidding for, or hosting, major sporting events due to a lack of transformation. The decision would be reviewed next year.<\/p>\n
\u2018Outrage and hurt\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Last month, Theunissen wrote on Facebook: “So no more sporting events for South Africa… I’ve never been more proud than to say our government are a bunch of K******… yes I said it so go f*** yourselves you black f***ing c***”.<\/p>\n The post went viral and the SAHRC subsequently conducted its own investigation.<\/p>\n Realising the “outrage and hurt” he had caused, Theunissen responded immediately to the commission, SAHRC spokesperson Isaac Mangena previously told News24.<\/p>\n He gave them an additional statement and unconditional apology in response to the allegations.<\/p>\n His proposed community service would be three to six months long.\u00a0He had also agreed to stay off social media for a year and undergo anger management therapy.<\/p>\n \u2018Ignorant and insulting\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n On Monday, Mbalula said that Theunissen would also conduct “academic research on transformation in sport”.<\/p>\n “The racist remarks made by Mr Theunissen were ignorant and insulting to black people, who continue to face many forms of racial exclusion. It was important then that a Chapter 9 institution like the SAHRC investigates this matter.”<\/p>\n Meanwhile, last week, controversial KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow was ordered by the Umzinto Equality Court to pay R150 000 to the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation for her racist comments.<\/p>\n Sparrow raised ire with a controversial Facebook post in which she likened black beach-goers to monkeys.<\/p>\n News24<\/a><\/p>\n Racism a national security risk: security minister<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Department to introduce racism, hate speech legislation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 15 reasons why the ANC racism bill is a bad idea<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on racism<\/h3>\n