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Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape has suspended a councillor over a social media post in which he said he would like to see motorcyclists die gruesome deaths, the leader in the province said on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Sol Plaatje Municipality councillor Ockert Fourie posted in Afrikaans: "I wish I could just take pieces of steel [and see the] blood and intestines and brains [of motorcyclists] against lamp poles and on tar roads."
Fourie said motorcyclists have little care for the elderly or people who work at night when they make a noise.
"You can’t educate them because they swear and gang up on you and just make more noise," he wrote.
"So, blood tissue and pieces of skull and intestines against lamp poles will give satisfaction for this hateful conduct and conscienceless people."
The post has since been deleted and Fourie later apologised, claiming his comments weren’t aimed at "all motorcyclists".
Northern Cape DA leader Andrew Louw said the party “completely distances” itself from Fourie’s statement.
"It goes beyond my comprehension why anyone would write something like this," Louw told News24.
"Fourie has brought the province into disrepute and I would like to apologise on behalf of the DA in the Northern Cape to every biker whose human rights have been affected."
Meanwhile, Facebook users have expressed outrage at Fourie’s comments.
"Did you [Fourie] know that bike clubs exist and ride mostly for charity," Amelia Rensburg Viljoen asked on his Facebook profile.
"Did you know that most bikers, if not everyone, have a mother and a father with a family at home – a child or three for who he or she lives."
Some threatened to kill him when they see him, while others urged caution.
"Don’t go down to his level," Jesse Jay Wilder wrote.
Fourie did not respond to News24's request for comment.
Meanwhile, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has called on the South African Human Rights Commission to investigate Fourie for hate speech.
"If Fourie had [a] concern about the conduct of bikers, he could have used other platforms for constructive engagement with them and acted more responsibly," spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu said in a statement.
"His post undermines the festive season Arrive Alive road safety campaign message promoting responsible sharing of the road and the spirit of goodwill."
