Mmusi Maimane Accuses Politician Dan Roodt of Racially Weaponising Pilot’s Death

• Right-wing politician Dan Roodt received stern criticism from members of the public after he tried to politicise the death of pilot James O'Connell
• O'Connell died when his plane dove into the ground at the West Coast Air Show in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape
• Roodt incorrectly assumed that the pilot was black and tried to use his death to refer to the alleged racist laws in the country, and his tweet earned the ire of South Africans, including Mmusi Maimane

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

GAUTENG — Conservative politician Dan Roodt struck the wrong chords when he wrongfully claimed that the pilot who died during a plane accident in Saldanha Bay, West on 22 March 2025 was a black person who was appointed on racial grounds. South Africans, including Mmusi Maimane, former swimming champion Roland Schoeman and other well-known figures condemned his tweets as race-baiting.

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What did Roodt say?

Roodt, the leader of the Front National party, tweeted on his account that the pilot, who died at the Saldanha Air Show over the weekend was hired on racial grounds. He questioned whether he was hired using the alleged 142 racist laws which he claimed targeted white people. He later deleted his tweet. However, he did not delete his tweet quickly, enough as screenshots of the tweet were soon viral. Comedian Siv Ngesi posted one on his @iamSivN X account with scathing criticism.

View the X tweet here:

Elon Musk also recently slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa and accused the government of having racist laws which exclude white people. His tweets were about the Expropriation Act, which Ramaphosa recently signed.

However, international politicians, including Norwegian Minister Espen Barthe Eide strongly disagreed with Musk and Trump's interpretation of the Expropriation Act. He said the government's explanation of the act was sufficient and credible.

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What did South Africans say?

Netizens, including politicians, strongly reacted to Roodt's tweet.

Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane slammed Roodt.

"You rushed to assume that the pilot was black, that he was incompetent and appointed because of affirmative action. Those three assertions made in public were malicious and mendacious. What you did was far more pernicious than baiting. You were spreading a narrative based on prejudiced stereotypes."

Ronald Schoeman also criticised him.

"You posted something vile about a dead pilot without knowing the facts. No apology. No retraction. Just a silent delete and now you’re here trying to play gatekeeper for conservatism? Please. Moral cowardice dressed up as conviction is still cowardice."

Paballo sad:

"South African Human Rights Commission, if you are true to your values, you will realise that Dan Roodt must be taken to the Equality Court to answer for this racist tweet."

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Thubisi said:

"We will keep the receipts and remind them every time they are racist."

Charlotte's Mum said:

"What a revolting thing to tweet. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Mr Roodt."

Social Media influencer slams Elon Musk

In a related article, Briefly News reported that social media commentator Dan Corder debunked Elon Musk's criticism that Starlink cannot operate in South Africa because of the colour of his skin. He posted a video debunking him.

In it, Corder says other tech giants established their businesses in South Africa and abided by the local compliance laws. He added that Starlink cannot operate in South Africa because of the colour of his skin. He posted a video d

Source: Briefly News