A Cape Town-based Twitter user has incited outrage on social media for posting a tweet with the old South African flag, apparently celebrating "a time in which everything [in the country] was in place".
The tweet, posted on Wednesday, belongs to a user listed only as Karin (@ginamydog) and said: "Daar was n tyd gewees wat Suid Afrika n mooi leefbare land was met al's in plek. Reply met 'n salute as die pic jou hoendervleis gee (sic)."
[Translation: There was a time when South Africa was a beautiful, livable country with everything in place. Reply with a salute if the picture gives you goosebumps].
Some Twitter users responded in the affirmative with "Saluut!", but were drowned out by irate South Africans who pointed out how the flag symbolises racial oppression and a system designed to serve whites only.
Millions of South Africans with goose-bumps from fear of remembering what this represents. The only salute you deserve is my middle finger
— Kevin Charleston (@chakm1) September 7, 2017
Simply not true Karin. It certainly was not a good place if you were anything other than white. How is it that you cannot see that?
— DC ✊ (@DarrylCombe) September 7, 2017
I'd rather not salute a flag symbolic of racial oppression.
— Dorrien Venables (@DorrienVenables) September 7, 2017
Daai vlag simboliseer apartheid/verdrukking... So, hoendervleis gee...? I don't think so... Mens kan nie in die verlede leef nie..
— Thayne Heath (@thaclyd) September 7, 2017
Jy maak my skaam om te erker jys n Afrikaner en ek neem aan n Christen.
— Claude Remains (@fluxmeslowly) September 7, 2017
The creator of #CountryDuty on Twitter, Tumi Sole, responded with a salute of a different kind:
Here's my salute to you & all those who agree with you pic.twitter.com/m6jFzs468U
— Tumi Sole (@tumisole) September 7, 2017
Another user in response said she was "three years-old when a white policeman called her a k*****" to which Karin replied, "Sorry about that ... no intension to disrespect you (sic)".
Numerous previous tweets in the month of August alone included pictures with the old South African flag and military settings. Another took a swipe at white privilege.
The user, Karin (@ginamydog), has been contacted for comment via Twitter, but has not responded at the time of publishing.
