The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has reached an out-of-court settlement agreement with Belinda Magor, the white woman behind a racist WhatsApp voice note calling for the killing of black men and the removal of black women’s wombs.
Zamantungwa Mbeki, the SAHRC Gauteng provincial manager, said Magor agreed to the commission’s demands, which included her issuing a public apology that will be published on the commission’s website and social media platforms.
She also agreed to attend sensitivity training and community service.
Mbeki was speaking on Wednesday during the commission’s virtual media briefing regarding updates on matters that the commission’s provincial office investigated and were featured in the media.
Mbeki said the out-of-court settlement agreement between the commission and Magor comes after the commission hauled her before the Equality Court sitting at the Johannesburg High Court, where it demanded she apologise to black people.
The commission deemed her outbursts hateful and offensive.
The agreement has two parts: Magor issuing a public apology that will be published on the commission’s website and social media platforms, and her attending sensitivity training and community service.
The second part is about a fine that Magor will have to pay for her racist utterances.
Public apology to black people
Mbeki said Magor has been given seven days, starting today, Wednesday, to sign the out-of-court settlement agreement offer.
She said that after signing the offer, Magor will be given a further seven days to issue a public apology.
The out-of-court settlement agreement was negotiated two weeks ago.
“We received complaints from members of the public in November 2022 regarding Miss Magor,” Mbeki said.
“The commission made contact with Miss Magor, and we noticed through media reports that she said she made her utterances because she was not eating and because she had diabetes.
“We pursued the matter in the South Gauteng High Court [in Johannesburg] and served Miss Magor with our papers. We received communication from her that she was amenable to a settlement.
“She agreed to the settlement process and has agreed to abide by all the terms of the agreement. We anticipate that the settlement will be finalised in the next few days.”
Mbeki added that the commission and Magor will also negotiate a fine after Magor has signed the first part of the out-of-court settlement agreement.
Hauled before the Equality Court
Previously, the commission had taken Magor to the Equality Court and wanted her to pay R150 000 to an organisation advocating for reconciliation and diversity.
This was because Magor refused to accede to the commission’s letter of demand to acknowledge in writing that her utterances amounted to unfair discrimination based on race and amounted to hate speech.
She also refused to apologise unconditionally in writing to black people for her utterances.
The Boksburg magistrate’s court struck the crimen injuria criminal case against Magor off the court roll in November 2023.
The case was struck off the roll due to police investigations not being complete. The state was given a Section 324A notice during Magor’s previous court appearance.
Magor was facing a charge of crimen injuria after she recorded a one-minute-seven-second voice note calling for black men to be killed and for the uteruses and ovaries of black women to be cut off so that they “cannot procreate because they are worse than pit bulls”.
Magor made headlines when her voice note was shared in the WhatsApp group for pit bull owners called Pitbulls Be My Voice in November 2022.
Cut out black women’s uteruses
In the voice note, she could be heard saying that black men were “worse than pit bulls”.
“Estelle, I agree with you wholeheartedly. What I say is, ban the black man. They rape, steal, and kill, worse than any pit bull could, and they get away with it,” Magor could be heard saying in the voice note.
“Ban those that are making the laws, ban Ekurhuleni, ban the black men.
“Get all the black women and cut out their uteruses and ovaries so they cannot procreate, because they will all turn out the same because they are all the same … I am passionate about this.
“Ban them, kill them, shoot them, and get rid of them because they are the problem, not pit bulls, not animals.
“Animals are beautiful and they deserve a warm bed, food, love, attention and everything else.
“God created those animals. Who created the black man? Do you think God did? I don’t think so.”
