Racist Judge Motata?I am quite possibly the first journalist to refer to a retired judge as a racist. Judge Nkola Motata’s conduct on the scene of an accident attracted a sanction: the Conduct Tribunal recommended impeachment. It is a topic of some debate as to whether a black person can be accused of racism. I, myself, am a proponent of the view that racism is a system whereby one group convinces another group of its superiority. That said, it would be impossible for a black man, in South Africa today, to convince a white man that he is racially inferior. This is so because white people are privileged. For all intents and purposes, they are on the top of the world food chain.
However, I do believe that it is possible for a black person to hold certain prejudices when it comes to race. And sadly, Judge Nkola Motata is no exception. He crashed his car into the perimeter wall of a residence in an upmarket suburb. He then proceeded to create an us vs them scenario on the scene. With himself and the black metro cops on one hand, and the lone white business owner on the other.
The K-wordFurther, and most egregiously, he continues to perpetuate a lie about the use of the k-word on the scene of the accident. During his conduct tribunal, and testifying in his own defence, the Judge uttered the k-word several times. He claimed the word was used against him by the homeowner. He also referenced false testimony to this effect. In South Africa today, the k-word is recognised as hate speech and is punishable by law.
But the jury is still out on whether black people can be criminally charged for using the k-word. According to Times Live “Businessman Peter-Paul Ngwenya is facing charges of crimen injuria in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court for allegedly calling Investec chief executive Fani Titi the k-word and a “Bantustan boss” in a text message. The pair have been at loggerheads after Ngwenya claimed that a business deal went sour and that he is owed R54m.” That was back in March last year.
In this podcast, we take you back to the crash scene. This is thirteen years after the fact, and long after mainstream media have left the story alone. But this story is so quintessentially about everything that is wrong with South African society. White privilege. Corruption and Ineptitude in the system. Politicians pulling the strings. Stereotypes about black people and drunkenness. Stereotypes about white people and the k-word. So journey with us on this latest podcast.
On the scene of the accident
The Judge is caught sleeping behind the wheel
Photo’s widely available on the internet
