A viral video of a South African woman yelling racist remarks to a black police officer het her behind bars.
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Vicki Momberg was found guilty in November on four counts of crimen injuria, or the willful injuring of someone’s dignity.
The prison sentence brings a clear warning that race-based abuse for which Momberg was found guilty “will not be tolerated”, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said Wednesday in a statement.
It was not enough to act against “incidents” of racism, and underlying privileges that cause racism in post-apartheid South Africa must be addressed, the non-profit organization added.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha welcomed the sentenced and reiterated his department’s commitment to fighting racially motivated crimes.
“We believe that this strong sentence will deter would-be hate crime perpetrators in our society. We also find it defeating and disappointing that we are dealing with a case of this nature in a year where we celebrate the year of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” Masutha said.
Vicki Momberg has been sentenced to three years in prison with one year suspended. It’s the first time a South African has received prison time for the offense.
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