Court dismisses contempt of court charges against Roets
The Equality Court has dismissed charges of contempt of court against AfriForum's Ernst Roets for posting on image of the old South African flag on social media.
Roets, who is the lobby group’s deputy CEO, posted the image on Twitter soon after the Equality Court declared the gratuitous display of the apartheid flag as hate speech.
The post prompted the Nelson Mandela Foundation to file charges against Roets and the AfriForum.
However, Roets dismissed suggestions that he disrespected the judgment saying that the court allowed for the flag to be used for artistic, journalistic and academic purposes.
ALSO READ: Old flag ‘reminds black South Africans of the inhumane nature of apartheid’
He added that he was posing an academic question with his tweet.
On Tuesday, Judge Colin Lamont said the charges were dismissed at the previous order was declaratory in nature and did not instruct anyone to do anything.
"While the second respondent may in due course be held to breach the provisions of the Equality Court Act there is no contempt of the court order,” Lamont said.
“I dealt specifically with the provisions of the law as far as the first respondent where facts are concerned. The upshot of the findings is that there has been no contempt established of the order this. However, it is not the end of the matter."