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Adam Catzavelos gets a R150k fine, South African Twitter calls it a ‘joke’
Adam Catzavelos will pay a R150 000 fine for his racist remarks in a viral video posted from a Greek beach in August 2018.
The fine will be payable over 30 months, effectively allowing Catzevelos to pay it off at R5000 per month. Also included in the punishment is 160 hours of community service.
However, the news of Catzevelos’s punishment didn’t go down well with South Africans on Twitter.
Mirroring a year ago, #AdamCatzevelos trended on the social network as users lamented the lack of jail time.
“Price of calling 47.4 million people K-word is R150000,” tweeted one user.
He got off Scott free?!?! R5000 a month for what?
2 year jail time will clean up that racists/hate speeches mouth!!! #AdamCatzavelos https://t.co/VEeGltypBo
— Barry Scharneck (@barry_scharneck) August 29, 2019
This #AdamCatzavelos felllow will pay a lousy R150 000 over 30 months. What a joke pic.twitter.com/JyQZrwDYsj
— Olwethu Sipuka (@osipuka) August 29, 2019
You know, racists look so meek and pathetic when they are brought down to earth and made to account for their disgusting behaviour #AdamCatzavelos
— ThangoLives (@_TangsnThangs) August 29, 2019
A fine doesn't really help anyone. People like #AdamCatzavelos never learn until u throw them behind bars 4 their ways. Sometimes u have 2 hit people where it hurts the most and in this case it's definitely not his finances. Ugh the justice system needs 2 b harder on race issues.
— Louie-Vincent Office (@Celebmonk) August 29, 2019
Price of calling 47.4 million people K-word is R150000.
— Sijo Majavinkie (@Sello_Mothemane) August 29, 2019
Some thought the punishment was fair.
I'm satisfied with the resolution of the #AdamCatzavelos case. He is certainly not getting off lightly for his conduct. Paying a R150 000 fine, community service, a public apology & the public humiliation that followed his exposure is adequate for his racist post.
— George Makubalo (@GeorgeMakubalo) August 29, 2019
While others were just largely there for the memes.
#AdamCatzavelos walking out of Court like, "Sun is out, great weather, great jury, great judge, even a greater verdict and not a single…." pic.twitter.com/4Tv37rbkjd
— Frank Lucas (@Dman_zn) August 29, 2019
It’s not the first time Catzavelos has trended on Twitter. After his viral video, a Twitter challenge became a national pastime as users subverted his flippant remarks in their own parody videos.
He’s also far from the first South African to receive punishment (judicial or ridicule online) for racist remarks.
In 2016, estate agent Penny Sparrow compared black people to monkeys in a Facebook post. Sparrow died earlier this year as a result of lung cancer.
Later that year, Capetonian Matthew Theunissen was also called out on social media for his remarks on Facebook made about then-minister of sport Fikile Mbalula.
eature image: screenshot, @fcfortune via Twitter
