This was a difficult cartoon to draw.
I sat on the phone, with a cartoonist mate, and he agreed that, while most of the country wants to see Julius Malema grilled, we must not let emotion muddle our rational thought. Blocking “Dubula Ibhunu” from being sung at political rallies might be a reasonable decision, but an outright state-imposed censorship can potentially lead to a slippery slope of more outright state-imposed censorships. Once such precedents are set, further hate speech rulings can be easily hammered. For example, think of Darren Scott, David Bullard, Deon Maas, Eric Miyeni, Kuli Roberts, and just about anyone else who expresses offensive expression (including cartoonists, comedians, and other entertainers).
Hate speech should attract public opprobrium and condemnation, but ought to be aired in the open rather than festering underground, suppressed by the state. That makes it more visible, and hence easier to combat.[...]As unpalatable as Julius Malema’s songs may be, we’ll pay a much higher price for suppressing them. [Ivo Vegter, Daily Maverick]
To be clear: I think singing that song now is politically and perhaps morally wrong, but not illegal. Certainly not on dignity grounds. [Nic Dawes, Mail & Guardian]
