The World Surf League and Surfing SA have raised concerns over an alleged race row between surfers which took place in the waves of SA’s surfing mecca, Jeffreys Bay.
Both parties have accused each other of using racial slurs and threats of violence.
One of the men at the centre of the incident, Rasool Hendricks, 49, claims he was called the K-word and told to “f**k off back to the location” when he and a friend went for a surf at popular Supertubes.
While the alleged incident occurred in March, it only recently came to the attention of the various surfing bodies, who voiced concern about the small town’s standing in the surfing world.
Both parties have since applied for protection orders against each other, though the matter is being held in-camera, meaning the court case has been closed to the public.
Hendricks, meanwhile, has been accused of threatening local guest house operator and surfer Remi Petersen.
Petersen’s lawyer, Wesley Reid, said they would not comment on the matter.
Hendricks, speaking after his court case on Friday, said he had been left extremely upset after the encounter.
He said he and a friend had wanted to catch some waves at Supertubes on March 7, like they had done many times in the past.
He alleged that was when Petersen approached them and allegedly wanted to bar them from surfing at the popular spot.
“I struggled to understand why he wanted to keep me out of the waves.
“We are acquainted, he knows I surf in Jeffreys Bay all the time, and I was very surprised when he and some other surfers approached us and told us to leave.
“The matter escalated and an argument ensued. At one stage, they tried to grab our surfboards.
“Then Remi [allegedly] called me a k****r , and told me to f**k off and go back to the location.
“The whole thing was quite upsetting,” Hendricks said.
In the days following the incident, he drafted a letter and considered bringing the matter to the attention of the Human Rights Commission.
He claims that he then posted the letter on a chat group with other surfers of colour to get their opinions on what had occurred, but never took any further action.
Hendricks suspects the letter must have been leaked from the group and somehow made its way to Petersen.
“I thought the whole thing was behind us, but then I got a phone call that I needed to appear in court in Humansdorp.
“When I arrived, Remi was there with an attorney and an advocate, and I heard he was applying for a protection order against me.
“He claims I threatened to slit the throats of white children and told him ‘the night of the long knives is coming’.
“Imagine shouting that to someone while trying to surf? It’s ridiculous,” Hendricks said.
He said he was accused of xenophobia as Petersen and his family are originally from abroad.
Hendricks immediately contacted his own attorney, Llewellyn Kammies, who in turn instructed advocate Jason Thysse, and they applied for a counter protection order.
The matter was postponed in the magistrate’s chambers on Friday for closing arguments to be heard in December.
Officials from the World Surf League and Surfing SA have, meanwhile, taken a keen interest in the matter and said they would consider taking steps against the individuals involved once court proceedings had wrapped up.
Hendricks said the incident had brought back unfortunate memories of being a young surfer of colour during apartheid and being banned from surfing at “whites only” beaches.
“The beaches in Jeffreys Bay are public spaces.
“Who are they to claim ownership and dictate who surfs there?
“Is their problem with all people of colour, or do they have an issue with me in particular?
“The way they approached this whole situation has put the entire surfing culture back by decades.
“We are supposed to be open and inclusive, but now it’s all [allegedly] about racism and discrimination,” Hendricks said.
World Surf League regional director Tasha Mentasti was also at court on Friday.
Mentasti said the global surfing community had taken an interest in the incident.
“The matter came onto our radar recently.
“We have limited information about the actual incident, so we made the decision to attend and follow court proceedings as much as possible.
“Once the matter has been finalised in court, we will make a decision on possible further steps for the good of the sport,” Mentasti said.
Surfing SA director Johnny Bakker said if there was any truth to the accusations from either side, action would have to be taken.
“Behaviour like this is completely unacceptable.
“This brings the entire sport of surfing, the surfing culture and such an important surfing location like Jeffreys Bay into disrepute.
“We will follow the matter closely and stay up to date with any developments.
“The outcome of the matter will determine our way forward,” Bakker said.
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