First #PennySparrow, then #JustinVanVuuren, and now #ChrisHart and Standard Bank. The first Monday of 2016 saw South Africans enter the #RacismMustFall battle with vigour.
It started with estate agent Penny Sparrow's rant about the state of her local beach:
Sparrow soon learnt that South Africans were not in the mood for racist vitriol. Her post went viral within a short space of time – as did her phone number and office address. Jawitz, the estate agent that she was affiliated to, said she no longer worked there, and should not be associated with the business:
Jawitz distances self from #PennySparrow pic.twitter.com/MSPPYOIc24
— Sure Kamhunga (@SureKamhunga) January 4, 2016
After the outcry over her comments, Sparrow posted this apology.
The apology went down as well as the original post:
So where exactly is the apology? #PennySparrow pic.twitter.com/f60iDShacL
— Maps Maponyane (@MapsMaponyane) January 4, 2016
Sparrow has reportedly been hospitalised due to the stress of the situation, reported an ANC member who went to speak to her daughter about the posts.
But it didn't stop there. Another resident Justin van Vuuren published this offensive post on his Facebook page:
His apology didn't make him new friends either:
Then yesterday well-known economist Chris Hart landed in hot water after this tweet:
After a heavy start to the new year, some South Africans allowed their sense of humour to shine through:
Probably #PennySparrow https://t.co/yexO6HfcXh
— David Kau (@davidkau1) January 4, 2016