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Velaphi Khumalo

Johannesburg – Gauteng Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation employee Velaphi Khumalo yesterday refused to comment following reports that he had been officially suspended from his post.

News24 contacted Khumalo, who after questioning how they had tracked him down, declined to comment.

“I will not comment on an internal issue. Contact the department spokesperson if you want a comment,” was all he was prepared to say.

The department has confirmed that Khumalo was suspended following a meeting yesterday.

Khumalo made headlines after he called for black South Africans to do to white people what “Hitler did to the Jews” and cleanse the country of white people.

“We must act as Hitler did to the Jews. I don’t believe any more that there is a large number of not so racist white people . I’m starting to be sceptical even of those within our Movement the ANC. I will from today unfriend all white people I have as friends from today u must be put under the same blanket as any other racist white because secretly u all are a bunch of racist fuck heads. as we have already seen [all sic],” he wrote on his Facebook account.

At first, Khumalo was unapologetic about his post, but on Thursday, in an e-mail to News24, he begged for forgiveness, adding that he hoped the people of South Africa would find it in their hearts to forgive him.

“I would like to apologiese [sic] to the Gauteng government for my emotional comments that I made on a public platform. I further want to apologise to the ANC for the comments I made that do not reflect the ideologies of a democratic society that are our ideals,” he wrote.

He admitted that his comments were offensive and “uncomfortable”.

“I’ve seen firsthand what racism and oppression of any race can do to a country and would not want my son to grow up in such a society,” Khumalo said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has moved to dissociate itself from Penny Sparrow following the storm over her racist Facebook post.

The KwaZulu-Natal realtor had taken to Facebook and described black beachgoers as “monkeys”, in an apparent reaction to litter left behind after New Year’s celebrations.

According to KwaZulu-Natal DA leader Zwakele Mccwango, Sparrow no longer has any ties to the DA as her membership has been revoked.

“There is no place for racists in the Democratic Alliance, and as such Penny Sparrow is no longer associated with the DA in any way. Sparrow is entirely disassociated from the DA, and has no ties with the party,” she said in a statement.

“The DA will always deal decisively with racists, and Penny Sparrow being ejected from the party exemplifies this.”

There has been mass reaction to her statement across social media platforms, as well as from political quarters.

On Monday, DA national spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe said the party had served notice of intention to suspend Sparrow’s membership and had referred her conduct to the Federal Legal Commission for investigation.

On Monday, DA leader, Mmusi Maimane also stated his disapproval on Twitter regarding Sparrow’s post.