Forgive me, asks actor Rajesh Gopie after stadium racist rant
Gopie, a well-known actor, director and playwright, took to Facebook to express his “outrage” following the behaviour of an unruly mob that turned violent after the end of the Nedbank Cup semi-final between Kaizer Chiefs and Free State Stars at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night.
Eighteen people were assaulted by a group of disgruntled fans who stormed the pitch after the match ended.
Read: Actor’s racist post about Moses Mabhida Stadium violence ‘unforgivable’
In a Facebook post, which has since been deleted, Gopie said “Yah, and the Baboons like soccer too much so they want to play with human heads.” The post has caused outrage on social media, with many calling for Gopie to face the same justice as convicted racists, Penny Sparrow and Vicki Momberg.
On Sunday, The Mercury contacted Gopie for his comment on the post, and he quickly deleted it. Gopie then apologised for his earlier post via his Facebook page.
“Enraged, I lashed out. Later, I realised that I acted in haste, infuriated at the lack of humanity on the part of those who perpetrated the killing. It was stupid of me to do so, to say the least!
“I removed the post and hereby wish to humbly and unreservedly apologise to all for this offence. Those who know me know that I would not intentionally hurt the feelings of others, but clearly I have in this instance. I ask you to forgive me,” he said.
He later posted another apology, adding that he was not a racist.
“I call the violent whites of European soccer baboons. And the same applies to people of any race - those in Russia or wherever else in the world humans act this way.
“They are subhuman in behaviour, and especially when it results in the callous death of an innocent human being - it’s the worst.
“It is barbaric. I removed my original post to stop further disunity and to clarify the intention behind my post. My post should not detract from the death of an innocent son of this land, or the pain suffered by his family,” he wrote.
The death Gopie wrote about referred to the assault of a security guard. The PSL has confirmed that the guard is alive, and has been discharged from hospital.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) declined to comment on whether or not it would be taking action. SAHRC spokesperson Gail Smith said she was not aware if a complaint had been brought against Gopie.
“We are not commenting on the matter. I do not know if anyone has complained about it. I did not check if there were any complaints,” Smith said.
The Mercury