High profile hate speech case heard in South Africa’s Constitutional Court
Trade unionist Bongani Masuku threatened Jewish community in blog post and during a speech at a Johannesburg university
By ILANIT CHERNICK Ten years ago, well-known South African trade unionist Bongani Masuku walked into a classroom at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand and made threats against the Jewish community.It was March 2009, and it happened to be the in middle of Israel-Apartheid week, where tension between pro-Palestinian students and pro-Israel students on campus swells.Masuku, who was the spokesman for international relations for the country’s main trade union, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), was addressing an event hosted by the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Young Communist League.He told attendees that life for Jews who support Israel would be made “hell.”During his speech, Masuku also threatened violence against Sou