DA Councillor Who Compared EFF Members To Monkeys Has His 12-Month Suspension Reduced To Just 1 Month — And He Is Already Back In Office, Sparking Outrage Across South Africa
A massive political storm has erupted in the Western Cape after DA councillor Dr John Hayes returned to office just one month after being suspended over a controversial Facebook post that allegedly compared EFF members to monkeys during the 2023 national shutdown protests.
A municipal disciplinary committee had reportedly recommended that Hayes be suspended for 12 months, describing the post as “inappropriate with racist connotations”. However, Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell later reduced the punishment to only 30 days.
The original post reportedly showed monkeys around a vehicle alongside comments linked to the EFF shutdown protests. The EFF immediately opened a complaint, accusing Hayes of racism and hate speech.
Now the South African Human Rights Commission has taken the matter to court after Hayes allegedly failed to respond to their initial communication. The SAHRC says the matter is now before the Western Cape High Court, where it wants the post officially declared hate speech.
Dr Hayes defended himself by claiming the post was meant as satire during a stressful period and said he deleted it the following day after realising people were offended..
But the EFF says the DA is protecting racism inside its structures.
EFF Western Cape chairperson Unathi Ntame said: “The EFF will never allow the DA to get away with racism.”
The ANC has also joined the criticism, saying the case raises serious concerns about accountability and leadership standards inside DA-run municipalities.
Meanwhile, many South Africans on social media are now asking difficult questions:
If this was an ANC or EFF councillor, would the punishment also have been reduced so quickly?
DEBATE:
Was the one-month suspension fair, or is the DA protecting one of its own?