The final round of public comment on the Hate Speech bill saw over 10 000 submissions opposing the new law before the National Council of Provinces. One of the key themes surrounding this opposition is around the definition of hatred and harm. 

According to the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, the Bill was created the offences of hate crimes and hate speech and put in place measures to prevent and combat those offences. It was linked directly to a number of key targets in the National Development Plan, most notably the need for sustained campaigns against racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia. In this hour, we discuss what is the fine line between expression and hate while assessing if we have the instruments to protect a society whose social cohesion journey has not been reflective of integration. We are joined by…

Guest (confirmed): Michael Swain - Executive Director at the The Freedom of Religion South Africa

Guest (confirmed): Prof. Pitika Ntuli - Cultural activist and former Anti-apartheid activist