Tuesday was a busy day on the streets of Twitterville, thanks to actress Pearl Thusi and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
The pair took jabs at each other following the EFF's nationwide assaults on H&M stores to protest the retail giant's "monkey ad".
Read: SA Celebs Boycott H&M Clothing Brand Over Monkey Advert
It all started when Ndlozi tweeted:
Every single racist institution is will be visited by the red brigade to ensure there are consequences to any denigration of the black race! #EFFprotest against H&M is not the last one. https://t.co/70PnePZ9cd
— IG: @MbuyiseniNdlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) January 13, 2018
To which an unimpressed Thusi responded:
So instead of fighting at their level you're just going to vandalize stores and establishments? Spread violence and fear? Oh, ok.
— PEARL THUSI (@PearlThusi) January 13, 2018
Just misrepresent us all as savages then. https://t.co/ocRq309Cqx
Not one to let matters slide, Ndlozi dismissed the actress.
ANC self-hating mascot who believes blacks with stones fighting oppression are savages. It would be a waist of breath to show her that she's adopted the oppressor's language to describe blacks. Will she also be distancing herself from savage movies like of Solomon Mahlangu? https://t.co/BYhd1nEead
— IG: @MbuyiseniNdlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) January 16, 2018
Thusi wasn't ready to leave it at that.
When political parties try to bully you out of your opinion... so much for democracy and freedom. 🤷🏽♀️
— PEARL THUSI (@PearlThusi) January 16, 2018
People continued where the duo left off –– shots were fired, shade was cast, and many resorted to shaming and insults.
Journalist and SABC News' U.N. bureau chief Sherwin Bryce-Pease told the pair to play nicely –– also telling everyone to take a deep breath and engage respectfully.
Is landing virtual punches what we have become as a society? If we disagree we use "savages". The counter punch is "anc self-hating mascot". And so it goes and becomes viral. And then we pick a side and trash each other. Can we engage respectfully even when we disagree?
— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) January 16, 2018
