She is vocal and outspoken about the happenings of her life. Actress Brenda Ngxoli has exposed seasoned Afrikaans actor David James for calling her by the K-word.
The Word Kaffir, in South Africa, is deemed as hate speech, currently punishable only by fines, “racist utterances and many other incidents of vicious crimes perpetrated under the influence of racial hate…has necessitated further measures” This is according to the minister of justice. If the proposed legislation becomes law, a first-time offender could face three years in prison and a repeat offender up to ten years. Hate speech may be defined as an expression that goes beyond mere insults or offensive language, and which may infringe the dignity of certain persons or groups. In South Africa common comments or words historically used during colonial and apartheid periods such as “baboon”, “monkey”, “kaffir”, “aap” “hotnot”, and “coolie” to describe people in a demeaning way have been declared by the courts to be hate speech. Such speech has no place in a constitutional democracy founded on the values of dignity and equality. Section 16 of the Constitution and Section 10 of the Equality Act both prohibit hate speech.
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Ngxoli says David James used this derogatory word on her. “Hey, Jou Kaffir me it. He said to me on the set of Sew The Winter to My Skin,” Ngxoli said. “If anything happens to me or my Child. David James is his Name. Many years later, Still Remember,” she added. “I Stood alone then as I cried on set, reported it to the AD…. Xolani Qhubeka the Dir….. gave me an ice-cold Cream Soda. Even today I’m still standing for my truth.” Ngxoli added that she cannot divulge all the details. “I can today talk about these events because I never signed the contract nor the non-disclosure addendum that followed. No Production Lawyers were able to force me,” she said. “Even the withholding of my Remuneration did not make me cave. Payment was made way way way ….. months on end, later. .. Without me following it up.” Directing her message to the boss of Yellowbone Productions, Layla Swart, Brenda added. “Like I said then to you @laylaswart I will not be silenced. When I had struggled that December, following the shoot, broke as Hell… It is Today I was Struggling for.” James could not be reached at the time of publishing.
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James is a South African film and theater actor. Prior to becoming an actor, James was in the military. He later studied arts and performance and made his film debut as Koobus Venter in the sci-fi thriller, District 9. His 2017 releases include the Bengali movie Amazon Obhijaan. He grew up on a wine farm in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa. His parents were very conservative and separatists during the time of apartheid in South Africa, and James was the first liberal in the family. He also clashed with his father, a strict Reformed Dutchman, about his interest in theater. He and his father struck a bargain that if he were to letter in sports in school, he could choose his study which he did. After his course in the military, he decided on arts and performance. Studying acting, singing, dance, and even the flute, James quickly made his mark in theater in South Africa. He has appeared in performances of Charlotte’s Web, My Fair Lady, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Aladdin, among others. His first big break came when he got the part of the snarling Koobus Venter in the 2009 science fiction hit District 9.
