Racist remarks furore

Racism in the police was put in the spotlight once again over the past week with the provincial office of the SAPS confirming that they have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of Makhado SAPS station commander Col Francois Ramovha.

This follows a press release he issued last Tuesday in response to a media enquiry from theZoutpansberger regarding an apparent increase in crime, more specifically violent crime, in and around Louis Trichardt. His response, issued under an official SAPS letterhead, left the news team flabbergasted as it could only be construed as a vicious and unfounded racial attack on the newspaper and one of its journalists, who had submitted the enquiry.

The media enquiry, sent through on Monday, 13 July, related to the recent incident where one of a group of thugs was shot dead on the farm of Dr Lappies Labuschagne, as well as an incident where a local female resident was brutally hit in the face with a brick by an unknown assailant in broad daylight. The enquiry also referred to statistics obtained from the Soutpansberg Dorpswag, as frequent weekly updates about crime in the area are not forthcoming from the police. Readers may recall that a moratorium was placed on local police services' issuing crime statistics years ago.

The media enquiry was followed up by journalist Isabel Venter last Tuesday via a telephone call to Ramovha. Without provocation, Ramovha exploded into a fit of rage, especially when statistics obtained from the Soutpansberg Town Watch were mentioned. “No, no, no … The information you are getting from town watch … there is only one police institution in this country, according to the constitution … That town watch you are talking about is null and void, does not exist!” Ramovha said. Just prior to this remark, Ramovha stated that, with reference to the town watch, “their issue is to work in the Apartheid era, which is not allowed.” With reference to his extreme unhappiness about “white” residents' reporting criminal activity to the town watch and not the police, Ramovha also remarked: “The issue of white people that does not want to be led by black people … they must go to Europe.”

Ramovha then went on to attack the Zoutpansberger, in the process subjecting Venter to almost seven minutes of verbal abuse. During the latter part of the telephone conversation, Ramovha was shouting so much that it was difficult to understand what he was saying. “Your newspaper is racist! Isabel, your newspaper is racist!” Ramovha shouted. He apparently justified this remark by stating: “Whatever you want to write about black people you write in Afrikaans so that black people won’t be able to understand.”

All through the conversation, Venter remained calm but was not allowed to respond or explain the media enquiry. When she was allowed to speak, she was promptly interrupted by Ramovha. “I am bringing my response to you and you must print it in the newspaper. I must see it in the newspaper,” Ramovha eventually stated near the end of the conversation. The conversation was eventually concluded, but not before Ramovha even went so far as to threaten Venter. “I’m telling you personally, I am opening a case against you … I am not kidding!” What the basis for such a case might be, is uncertain.

True to his word, a written response was received from Ramovha later that same day, although he did not drop it off personally at the office of the Zoutpansberger. Unbelievably, Ramovha basically just continued where he left off from the telephone conversation. “Quite more interesting, Zoutpansberger is an Afrikaans white speaking people newspaper and you like things that influence racial discrimination. We don’t expect this kind of attitude whilst we are in 20 years of democracy when a kind of newspaper report like this [sic],” he states in his response, among other things.

In his written response, Ramovha also launches a personal attack on Venter. “Isabel Venter only report bad things towards the police in Afrikaans, knowing that the majority of people who does not know Afrikaans will not understand. We have serious challenge with white community in that most of these cases are reported to Dorpwag and later we will informed by Dorpwag and in most cases, they give us the wrong address [sic],” he writes.

The Zoutpansberger, following the telephone conversation and Ramovha’s subsequent press release, brought the matter to the attention of the SAPS’s provincial office, with a request to meet with the provincial management urgently. It was indicated to them that theZoutpansberger  would, for the time being, refrain from writing about the incident to afford the police the opportunity to comment and investigate the matter. The police were unable to arrange such a meeting last week.

The matter was followed up this week, with the Zoutpansberger asking the provincial police spokeperson, Col Ronel Otto, for an official response with regard to Ramovha’s conduct. She responded on Tuesday by stating: “The provincial management of the SAPS in Limpopo views this conduct in a serious light and an immediate and thorough internal investigation has been launched.” Upon receiving this response, the Zoutpansberger enquired what immediate action had been taken against Ramovha and if the SAPS would retract Ramovha’s media statement. The Zoutpansberger also asked to be included in the investigation as the newspaper would not let Ramovha’s racial remarks and unfounded alegations go unchallenged. Otto confirmed receipt of the follow-up enquiry on Wednesday, saying that it had been handed to the provincial general and that she was awaiting further instructions from him. At the time of our going to press, a response had yet to be received.

News - Date: 27 July 2015

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Email: [email protected]