Fired for sharing a post on Facebook
The DA’s Whip in the National Assembly, Dianne Kohler Barnard, was recently found guilty of misconduct and dismissed by the party’s Federal Executive.
The ruling followed an investigation after Kohler Barnard shared a post on Facebook which called for the return of PW Botha to fix the public service problems in South Africa.
It is nothing new for someone in South Africa to be fired for a statement on social platforms like Twitter or Facebook.
Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela was fired after he tweeted “I trust Jub Jub’s supporters gave him a jar of Vaseline to take to prison”.
In 2013, two FHM employees were dismissed after they made controversial comments regarding rape on Facebook.
What makes Kohler Barnard’s case different is that she only shared a post. However, the result was the same.
She apologised soon afterwards, saying it was done in error. “I apologise unreservedly for sharing a post on Facebook… I erased it immediately when I realised”.
“Whoever reads it must know that I would never endorse such a thing in my life,” she said.
It was too late. With the DA doing its best to distance itself from any potential links to apartheid, her fate was sealed.
Many people felt that the punishment did not fit the crime, and that her demotion in parliament would have sufficed.
Whether it was fair or not is irrelevant, though. This case showed that you can be fired for the smallest of actions on social media – a click.
Considering the potential consequences of doing the wrong thing on Facebook or Twitter, the negatives may start to outweigh the positives for any high-profile person to interact on these platforms.
More on Facebook
DA’s Kohler Barnard to pay for Facebook share
DA shadow minister demoted after Facebook post
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