Domestic violence joke

last updated 8 January 2015

Rustenburg, South Africa

South African political leaders have demanded an apology from President Thabo Mbeki for threatening to strike his sister. Touring a squatter camp, Mbeki told supporters of his African National Congress that if his sister ever came home and confessed her support for another political party, he would “beat her.” Mbeki “was joking,” said ANC spokesperson Elliott Mayisela. “His intention was absolutely not to be denigrating of women or people’s political choices.” But Democratic Alliance leader Joe Seremane said that, in the South African context, such a comment wasn’t funny. “The harsh reality,” said Seremane, “is that millions of South African women have been beaten and abused” by family members.