/ 17 May 2011

K-word will offend my black friends, says Hofmeyr

Right-wing Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr says he no longer plans to sing the k-word, Beeld reported on Tuesday.

“I have black friends and colleagues who will take offence,” he said.

He changed his mind following a ruling in the high court in Johannesburg on Monday that the singing of the lyrics “shoot the boer” was incitement to murder. But, in a separate case, the Equality Court in Johannesburg still has to rule on whether the lyrics amounted to hate speech.

Hofmeyr threatened to sing the k-word in his song, Ons sal dit oorleef (We will survive this), if the court allowed “shoot the boer” to be sung in public.

His threats earned him the Sunday Times‘s Mamparra of the Week crown, while Frans Cronje of the South African Institute of Race Relations called him an embarrassment.

But it was not all for nothing for Hofmeyr — the music video of his much-publicised song got 15 000 hits on YouTube within 48 hours of being uploaded on the website. — Sapa