The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) has called for no bail for a Bronkhorspruit farmer who allegedly incited violence on black people via Facebook posts.
Leon Du Plessis, who has been in custody since his arrest three weeks ago, is expected to appear in the Bronkhorspruit Magistrate’s court for a bail hearing on Tuesday.
Du Plessis’s bail application was previously postponed because he wanted an Afrikaans-speaking interpreter present.
Earlier in February, he allegedly posted a picture of a silhouetted man carrying a shotgun‚ a trail of blood behind him‚ with the words “die Boere is gatvol” (Afrikaners have had enough).
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(Picture that was posted on Du Plessis's Facebook page earlier in February)
He is facing charges of inciting others to commit crimes‚ possession of explosives‚ possession of ammunition without having a licence and failure to lock firearms in a prescribed safe.
According to the charge sheet, Du Plessis had “incited others on Facebook to commit violence or murder against black people”.
“There is no place in our society for those who still harbour seeds of racism, who despite repeated calls to embrace non-racialism have opted for barbaric racial prejudice, hatred and violence,” said SANCO National Spokesperson,Jabu Mahlangu.
Mahlangu commended members of the community who had alerted authorities of Du Plessis’s alleged racist posts on Facebook which led to his arrest.
“The tip-off confirmed that not all white people, and in particular, Afrikaners are racists. The majority are patriots who have embraced reconciliation, nation-building and social cohesion,” he said.
Mahlagu added that police apparently found firearms and 1,300 rounds of ammunition‚ including SSG bullets‚ inside his home when they raided his place following a tip-off.
– African News Agency (ANA)
