Regan Thaw | 10 May 2012

CAPE TOWN – Freedom of expression is taken too far at times, the chairperson of the Justice Portfolio Committee said on Wednesday.

The ANC’s Llewellyn Landers added the furore around incidents where two models made racist comments on social networking site Twitter was evidence that some are abusing their right to free speech.

The matter was raised with the Human Rights Commission in Parliament on Wednesday.

Last week, model Jessica Leandra used the k-word in a tweet in which she vented anger after a stand-off with a black man at a supermarket. She was widely condemned and columnist Mabine Seabe laid a complaint with the HRC.

Several days later student and aspiring actress Tshidi Thamane tweeted a message in reply to Leandra. In it she said she wished white people were killed.

Landers said people should be aware of the limitations of their rights.

“On the very same Twitter, people may be saying things that are not just nasty, but maybe downright racist. They will argue that they are exercising their right to freedom of expression.”

He said simple apologies would not suffice in such cases.

“[For the] recent case, the South African society expressed outrage. I don’t think the simple apology the person (Leandra) gave was adequate.”

Both Leandra and Thamane have sinced apologised. They were due to meet each other on Thursday during a meeting organised by DA leader Mmusi Maimane.

(Edited by Lisa Bartlett)

An employee at security company Bidvest Magnum faces disciplinary action for posting alleged hate speech on Twitter, the company said on Wednesday.

“I’m very distressed about the comment and we shall institute an internal inquiry,” managing director David Crichton said.

Itumeleng Mabeba tweeted that model Jessica Leandra dos Santos “deserved to burn in hell you racist c**t”, and hoped she was “raped with a broken beer bottle”, the Citizen reported.

Last Thursday, Dos Santos told her Twitter followers: “Just, well took on an arrogant and disrespectful kaffir inside Spar. Should have punched him, should have.”

Dos Santos, who was model of the year for the men’s magazine FHM in 2011, has since deleted the post and apologised on her blog. The magazine also stripped her of her title.

Another model, Tshidi Thamana, had to apologise after she tweeted, in response to Dos Santos’s comment, that she wished all whites were dead.

“Dear Mr Peter Mokaba? I wish all whites had been killed when you sang ‘Kill the Boer’, then we wouldn’t have to experience @JessicaLeandra’s racism [sic],” she wrote.

Dos Santos and Thamana met Democratic Alliance national spokesman Mmusi Maimane for talks on Thursday.