“Sue us all,” South African women have cried on social media, following reports that prominent radio host and jockey DJ Fresh has filed a gag order against Ntsiki Mazwai.
What does ‘sue us all’ have to do with DJ Fresh?
Sunday World recently reported that DJ Fresh, real name Thato Sikwane, forced Mazwai to take down social media posts where she had listed him as an alleged rapist.
To get a better grasp of this debacle, we have to revisit the tales of how DJ Fresh’s relationship with Penny Lebyane ended. While the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the couple’s conflicting accounts, it is clear that the romance ended in fireworks.
On one end, Lebyane’s cryptic tweet about how she found explicit pictures of underage naked girls on her ex-boyfriend’s computer was taken as a reference to the DJ.
In contrast, DJ Fresh has maintained that a fiery encounter where Lebyane allegedly attempted to ram her vehicle against his friends was where he drew the line.
Mazwai, being the social activist she is, took the allegations made against DJ Fresh and other men accused in a recent Facebook #MeToo #NameYourRapist trend, and brandished them on her social media.
This, we understand, is the reason why DJ Fresh approached the Johannesburg High Court, seeking to silence the controversial singer.
His actions, though, have sparked a new wave of online protests. Women from all corners of Mzansi have banded together in one cry: “Sue us all”.
‘Sex pests don’t have a place to hide in our country’
The statement is a charge at men who use the long arm of the law to protect their sexually abusive interests. The ANC Women’s League joined the fray, calling out “sex pests” who use attorneys to throttle the voices of abused women.
“Whilst we take into account the principles of innocent until proven guilty, the ANCWL is resolute in supporting the victims of sexual harassment and wishes to reiterate this position. Sex pests don’t have a place to hide in our country. Letters from lawyers must not deter activities and/or survivors to unmask, name and shame the rapists,” the statement from the political organisation read.
These are some of the reactions we have picked out from social media on the “sue us all” trend: