Community leaders from The Chinese Association (TCA) in South Africa appeared in court yesterday in Johannesburg to testify against 12 individuals who allegedly posted racially charged anti-Chinese comments.
The case dates back to 2017 after the television documentary show Carte Blanche investigated the treatment of donkeys and how their skins are exported to China for use in traditional medicine. The defendants suggested that Chinese people were “not human”, “vile” and “barbaric.”
Testimony before the court by TCA Chairperson Erwin Pon:
- “They made me feel deeply hurt and helpless, as though many white people will never stop seeing us as inferior and foreign, no matter how many years passed since apartheid was abolished. “
- “The negative emotions that I experienced during the apartheid years, welled up within me. The memories of the injustices and injuries inflicted on Chinese people and other people of colour through white supremacy and hatred came to the fore again.”
