Mngxitama refuses to apologise for his farm attack post
JOHANNESBURG — uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Andile Mngxitama says he will not apologise for his post about the attack on North West farmer Donovan Marx. He told reporters that critics had taken his remarks out of context and that violence against black farmworkers rarely drew comparable outrage. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has confirmed that it is assessing complaints about the post.
Marx, 50, was shot and had both ears cut off during a robbery on 28 October at a farm in Syferfontein, near Ventersdorp, according to police. Mngxitama described the injuries as “symbolic” and said they could “denote the refusal of land thieves to listen”. That was the MP’s interpretation of the attack. Police described it as a house robbery in which Marx survived an attempt on his life.
Commission to decide how to handle complaints
SAHRC commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi told reporters on Monday that the commission was assessing the complaints under its formal procedure and would communicate its decision. The assessment is at a preliminary stage. The commission has yet to make a finding on whether Mngxitama’s remarks amounted to hate speech.
Mngxitama challenged his critics to explain why, in his view, abuse of black farmworkers attracts less public attention. “I won’t apologise for something that they chose to take out of context,” he said.
The criminal case arising from the attack is before the courts. Four men appeared in the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges including attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Their appearance followed a police operation in which officers reported seizing four firearms, two of which police said they had linked to the Ventersdorp case.
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