Young racists in cyberspace
Apartheid may be dead, but racism is alive and kicking on social networking sites in cyberspace. Facebook has become home to a number of groups that are feeding outrageous messages of race-based hatred to an audience born after Nelson Mandela hammered the final nail in the coffin of legalised racial discrimination in 1994.
There are nearly 150 groups linked to Afrikaners. Some carry engaging debates about saving the language or about simply missing South African biltong — for those living abroad.
But several of these forums are characterised by hate speech and racist rhetoric that have seen disapproving Afrikaners lobbying to have them shut down.
Matriculant Arno Marx started the Boeremag forum to encourage his peers to take pride in their Afrikaner heritage. He doesn’t believe there is anything wrong with being associated with the Boeremag, traditionally known as a right-wing group, and was quick to point out that some of his “best friends are black”.
Marx said: “I’m hoping to unify those Afrikaners who, of course, are not racist. There is a general vibe out there that Boeremag is racist, and this is an exaggeration. The name of the group is ‘Boere’, meaning Afrikaners, and ‘mag’, meaning power. Nowhere does is it say ‘racists’.”
Others were clearer about their motives. Sidney Gilroy, who created the group Ek is Wit en f****n Trots Daarop (I am white and f*****g proud of it), was unapologetic about its nature. He said it was, by definition, racist. “I am more than willing to carry that label. At least I stand up for my point of view . .. The rainbow nation only ever existed on paper,” he said.
Gilroy said that people who were joining his group didn’t believe that the white youth should suffer for the past.
But when asked to pose for a photograph, perhaps with some of the old South African paraphernalia displayed by members of his group, Gilroy said: “You must be kidding me. I have no flags or paraphernalia but the current flag of the country. Please don’t underestimate my patriotism towards the democracy of this country.”
He said that references to old South African symbols on his site had been contributed by members.
OB Kammando, whose name is taken from the Ossewabrandwag, an old nationalist Afrikaner organisation , said his group, F** die government, F** die ANC, F** die flag en F** sokker!!, started as a protest against crime.
“The group is not racist but there are people that are full of anger . .. The use of ‘kaffir’ is discriminating and I sorted it out. Now you receive a warning and if you do it again you get blocked.”
South African Human Rights Commission chairman Jody Kollapen said it was shocking that young people seemed to be embracing this type of racist hatred.
Afrikaans musician and TV presenter Johrne van Huysteen was so shocked that he and other Afrikaans entertainers, such as Koos Kombuis and Elsabe Zietsman, have joined forces to form a group that promotes positive discussion about South Africa.
“To see a younger racist generation among Afrikaans-speaking people — that’s frightening,” said Van Huysteen.
Overall, there are over 600000 South Africans on the local Facebook network. A quick search revealed that there are other racially aligned groups: Indians, 13; coloureds, 60; Xhosas, 99; and hundreds of Zulu groups.
Users range from high school pupils and university students to young professionals and those working abroad, talking about food and culture, among other things. One Indian user living overseas said: “I miss having green mangoes and chilli powder without people thinking I’m crazy.”
In the group Coloureds and Everything About Us, one user said: “Coloured is nothing but a lifestyle, a way of thinking. Who really cares if you’re Coloured anyway. This is an open group, anybody can join.”
Rhodes student Tsepiso Nzayo started his group to spread his views on Black Consciousness. He said he didn’t regard his group as racist. “I adore and respect Biko’s ideologies,” he said.
Political analysis programme manager at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation Jan Hofmeyr said some of the comments on the Afrikaner forums went beyond racism and bordered on hate speech.
South African Institute of Race Relations political researcher Hannah Botsis said: “We need to take note of these feelings of alienation so that we can address them properly, and not allow them to develop into rogue elements that influence others. ”
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