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Cape Town – A Cape Town man was found guilty of hate speech in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Friday for racially insulting his girlfriend's domestic worker, according to reports.
Andre van Deventer, 36, was charged with common assault
and crimen injuria.
He admitted to racially insulting his girlfriend's domestic worker, but said he did not lay a hand on her.
He said he had pleaded guilty to a charge of crimen injuria for calling their domestic worker Gloria Kente a "kaffir".
SABC News journalist Lyndon Khan tweeted that the magistrate found Deventer guilty of hate speech. “He had clear intention to hurt and humiliate Kente.”
He was also ordered to pay Kente R50 000 for damages and ordered to apologise to her.
On Friday 3 October, Van Deventer was called as a witness
after the State confirmed it had closed its case.
His lawyer, Henry van der Westhuizen, asked whether he assaulted, held or grabbed 50-year-old Kente that day.
Van Deventer said he got home, had a few beers and was trying to connect an electronic device to his television.
Around 18:00, Kente left his child with him on the couch and said she was going to shower.
He went to the bedroom and a loud argument ensued with his ex-girlfriend Mariechin Pienaar over Kente's conduct.
He used "kaffir" at one point to describe her.
"I said certain things to her [Pienaar] about Mrs Kente, whereupon Mrs Kente screamed from the bathroom 'Are you talking about me?'," Van Deventer testified in Afrikaans.
He said he and Kente confronted each other in the corridor between the bathroom and bedroom.
"We had an argument. At one stage, I went to the kitchen, had a sip of beer and went back to argue. I did name her the k-word [sic]."
Van Deventer said he mentioned the fact that people were throwing faeces at Cape Town International Airport and also referred to former president Nelson Mandela.
He claimed Kente did not keep quiet and screamed back at him.
"She didn't touch me but she was extremely bombastic and in my face."
Kente previously testified about how Van Deventer allegedly assaulted and swore at her. She alleged he grabbed her by her pyjamas, verbally assaulted her and spat in her face.
Kente has applied to the Equality Court in Cape Town for R100 000 in damages and an unconditional apology from Van Deventer.
