Manyi under fire again

[Ockie]

Chief government spokesman Jimmy Manyi is under fire again after the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) announced that it had launched a preliminary hate speech investigation against him.

HRC chairman Lawrence Mushwana on Wednesday told Parliament’s justice committee that the organisation’s Durban office had received an official complaint on Tuesday.

HRC spokesman Vincent Moaga has since told the Cape Times the complaint related to a charge of hate speech and was lodged in connection with the widely publicised remarks Manyi made about Indians in KwaZulu-Natal.

Speaking to the Durban Chamber of Business in February last year, Manyi noted that Indians constituted only 3 percent of the national demographic, but held 5.9 percent of senior management positions in KwaZulu-Natal.

He went on to remark: “I call it the power of bargaining. Indians have bargained their way to the top.”

The seemingly light-hearted, throw-away comment drew laughter from the audience at the time, an aspect Manyi has stressed in conversations with journalists about the issue.

However, Moaga said the complainant - who will not be named before Manyi has been informed of the contents of the complaint - found these remarks “extremely offensive”, “prejudicial” and claimed they amounted to “hate speech”. The complainant has asked the HRC to demand a public apology from Manyi.

HRC chief executive Kayum Ahmed said: “We will put the complaint through our internal assessment process, where it will be determined if a prima facie human rights violation has occurred.

“If so, then we will put the allegations to Mr Manyi, give him an opportunity to respond, and then proceed with our investigation.” - Political Bureau

http://www.iol.co.za/news/manyi-under-fire-again-1.1042959

 

[Nick333]

Ja, I dunno really. I think the comment was probably just a joke given the context. You'd think he'd want be very careful about what he says at this stage though.

 

[TJ99]

Ja, I dunno really. I think the comment was probably just a joke given the context. You'd think he'd want be very careful about what he says at this stage though.

I don't know about that hey, and if it was, it shows you how bad his thinking (and I use the term loosely) was, expecting that just because a certain type of people are a certain percentage of the population that the same percentage should be managers? That's some pretty retarded **** there and it's textbook ANC dumbassery. The Demographic Republic of South Africa.

Ask yourself this question, and answer it honestly, what would have happened if a white guy said exactly the same words, exactly the way, in exactly the same context? You think people would be saying "it's just a joke hahahha"?

More likely there'd be a ****storm that would shake the heavens and his life would be over.

 

[Nick333]

I don't know about that hey, and if it was, it shows you how bad his thinking (and I use the term loosely) was, expecting that just because a certain type of people are a certain percentage of the population that the same percentage should be managers? That's some pretty retarded **** there and it's textbook ANC dumbassery. The Demographic Republic of South Africa.

Ask yourself this question, and answer it honestly, what would have happened if a white guy said exactly the same words, exactly the way, in exactly the same context? You think people would be saying "it's just a joke hahahha"?

More likely there'd be a ****storm that would shake the heavens and his life would be over.

I meant the comment about Indians and negotiating.

 

[LazyLion]

It definitely does not sound as bad as they are making out... but my questions is why? What was the context of the comments? Where was he going with that line of reasoning?

Anyway, the guy overall sounds like a real braggart and loud mouth. I wish the ANC would just shut him up already. Fat Chance.

 

[nexxus]

Ja, I dunno really. I think the comment was probably just a joke given the context. You'd think he'd want be very careful about what he says at this stage though.

The thing is he said it a long time ago & stressed it was a joke, the comment was made over a year ago to an audience that included many Indians, none of whom thought to complain. The danger in sensationalising things like this is that real complaints will get lumped into the bundle & their significance minimised.

A big problem I have with government critics (including opposition parties) is that nobody seems to realise this & joyfully beat their drums at every opportunity.

 

[LazyLion]

Well, they are probably just hoping that this will add to all the other complaints against the fool, and that the weight of all the stupid things he has said will come back to bite him.

But as for this particular incident, I don't think they have much of a case here.