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- Screenshots of a Facebook post, allegedly made by Beverley Kruger, have been swirling on social media platforms.
- Kruger allegedly inferred that people of color were “monkeys” who had prompted the return of confinement restrictions.
- The message said that the “monkeys” were causing trouble for the whites.
A racially charged Facebook post, which inferred that people of color were monkeys whose misconduct pushed South Africa back into lockdown restrictions, is sweeping social media platforms.
The comment, supposedly made by Beverley Kruger, reads: “Lockdown fucking 3 … can make a lot of monkeys stop shitting for us white people.”
Translated, the post reads, “Can you bunch of monkeys stop causing trouble for whites?”
At the time of writing this article, Kruger had deactivated his Facebook profile and the original post was not available.
The date and time of its alleged publication is unknown.
It appears to have followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech on Monday, in which he announced more severe lockdown restrictions to try to quell a resurgence of Covid-19 infections.
Kruger’s alleged comment is reminiscent of a racial storm sparked by KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow, who in 2016 compared black bathers to monkeys.
READ | I think blacks are wonderful – Penny Sparrow
Her misstep saw her slapped with a R150,000 hate speech fine by the Equality Court a few months later, and her infamy was consolidated with her conviction for the crime of insult for a racist insult, a first in post-war South Africa apartheid.
The Facebook message allegedly posted by Beverley Kruger.
Facebook supplied
Convicted racist Vicki Momberg was released from Sun City Prison in Johannesburg in December last year, after serving part of a two-year sentence for the crime of libel after she called a black police officer with the k-word 48 times when he came to her aid after a smash and grab incident in 2016.
Serious legal and reputational consequences
And Kruger may be in trouble, too, said social media law expert Emma Sadleir.
“Anything you say on social media can and will be used against you. Even if you delete the post or your account, a screenshot is forever. Posts like these can have serious legal, disciplinary and reputational consequences,” he said .
Sadleir said that if she actually designed the position, Kruger could face disciplinary action for discrediting her employer and could legally face an approach from the South African Human Rights Commission or the police.
Little is known about Kruger, whose social media presence dwindled after images in his post began to swirl.
According to her Instagram profile, she describes herself as “a country girl in every way.”
“I’ll show you what life is like on a farm,” he wrote.
READ | Penny Sparrow returns to court on criminal charges for racist comments
Repeated efforts to contact Kruger were unsuccessful at the time of publication. Phone calls went unanswered and WhatsApp messages, requesting comment on the post, were initially read.
Others were not released, apparently because the News24 reporter was blocked by Kruger. SMS also went unanswered.
This story will be updated if Kruger offers a comment.
