2016 has been a year filled with racism rearing its ugly head… but the majority of South Africans are not standing for it. The majority are standing together against it.
The most recent online hate-mongering comes from a man who has become the most “searched name” in South Africa over the past week.
In the original post Hannes Lottering, from Parys, uploaded a picture of Springbok rugby player Siya Kolisi and his beautiful new bride with this caption.
“I pray that this does not happen in my family. Honest to God‚ I would not know what to do”.
Social media were sent into a rapid frenzy with the post being shared thousands of times and people adding their voice to the discontent of the racism.
But this is not the first time the high-profile couple have had to deal with racism by armchair warriors.
Early this year, Rachel shared a string of Facebook messages sent from a man who asked her to leave his “good men” alone. The messages included a string of lewd references…
Charles Hermon allegedly messaged her: “Why do white h**s think they can f*** n**gers! F*** your own kind. Leave Africa and go back to Europe and leave our good men to our own beautiful black women. [sic]”
He added: “I am sick of seeing this half breed popping out,” before making sexual references, ending, “Don’t need you here stealing our men.”
The Springbok rugby player says he will not respond to racist opinions about his marriage to a white woman.
“I ignore things like that . . . They don’t make any difference in my life. All that this is going to do is just waste my time‚”
A couple of days after Lottering’s hateful-post went viral, social media users started an amazing online celebration of love, with inter-racial couples filling feeds with the most amazing stories.
Scores of Facebook users also in interracial relationships hit back by taking to the platform and posting photographs of themselves with their partners.
Dozens more also left comments expressing their revulsion with the racist post.
By Monday hundreds of people had come out in solidarity with the interracial couple.
Racism is rife… and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. But luckily the majority of South Africans are not standing for it & the more people who use their voices to stand together against hatred and racism, the quicker we will see the end of it.
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