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Given the spot judgements that have abounded since the story broke, it’s hard to comprehend that the Eben Etzebeth assault and racism case was only referred to the equality court on Friday, presumably because of the many questions that needed to be answered to do so.
Typically in a country that, for the past few years, puts two and two together and comes up with five in practically every racial situation, Etzebeth – accused of assaulting a homeless man and calling him the H word on the eve of his departure for the Rugby World Cup in Japan with the Springboks – has been declared guilty or innocent almost exclusively based on whether you’re black or white.
If social media is anything to go by, living in South Africa is becoming a draining case of every individual being less that and only a representation of their race; a situation that renders all of us part of some herd or other.
A great example was the widely circulated video of Springbok wing Makazole Mapimpi seemingly being excluded from a post-match huddle by some of the white players in the team. The footage spread like wildfire and judgement was made that the Bok environment is a racist one.
But then the player released a video claiming that, as a starting XV player, he actually didn’t belong in said huddle because the replacements – apparently nicknamed the Boom Squad – have their own post-match celebration.
But the woke police dismissed Mapimpi’s utterances as a lie because he knows which side his bread is buttered on. While that scenario is obviously not implausible, it’s incredible how the original narrative prevailed due to opinion trumping what one would, at some level, have to entertain as Mapimpi’s facts.
The overriding thing about the Etzebeth situation for me is how many questions are still unanswered about it, which makes it a grey area and not the clear-cut case presented to us in social and traditional media circles.
The first is how is it that Etzebeth was not arrested and charged with assault and crimen injuria? My flimsy grasp of the law is that when you hit someone else, you get arrested, charged, appear in court, post bail and get a court date for trial.
Why this doesn’t seem to have happened in this case is worth asking because having Etzebeth languish in a Langebaan police station instead of being announced as part of the Bok squad may have persuaded SA Rugby – whose conduct has borne the hallmarks of an organisation hoping this would go away – to institute the belated investigation they did this week then, and prevent him from going to Japan.
Also, I thought Etzebeth was with a group of about 10 people, so why is he the only one being charged?
The noises coming out of the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) have been incongruous, with commissioner Chris Nissen preaching innocence until proven guilty, while acting head of legal services Buang Jones was quoted as saying Etzebeth had been getting away with murder, would be made an example of and should be charged with attempted murder.
Forget the inflammatory nature of the latter’s statement, the contradiction in the SAHRC’s message is staggering.
Then there’s the news that the victims are now claiming more than R1 million in damages from the player.
Given the talk about one of the victims having had to return to hospital, the demand for money is understandable.
But few things weaken your quest for justice more than a demand for money, regardless of how you feel justice won’t be forthcoming.
Long story short, there are many unanswered questions in a case that has been badly handled all round, yet we’ve all made up our minds well before it makes it to court.
- Follow me on Twitter @simxabanisa
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