[imagesource: Phill Magakoe / AFP]

Social media has provided everybody with a platform to share their views.

For some people, that’s really not a good thing. Just ask the likes of Penny Sparrow and Adam Catzavelos, for example, although every news story comments section is now an opportunity for idiocy to abound.

Over the course of Sunday, various reports regarding the arrest of Springbok Elton Jantjies began to filter out.

Details were scarce, but it was stated that he had been arrested for “malicious damage to property” after he touched down in Johannesburg on an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai.

News24 then broke the story that eyewitnesses allege the 31-year-old World Cup-winning flyhalf was banging on a toilet cubicle door for 10 minutes, saying “Komaan, my skat” (come on, my darling) while an air hostess hid inside.

It was also alleged that Jantjies was unsteady on his feet and smeared his blood on a number of seats as he returned to his seat.

After that story broke, the flyhalf came under fire on social media. There were also those who came to his defence, and it’s here that we find what has to be the dumbest (and saddest) take on the entire matter.

After seeing this tweet, I donned a hazmat suit and went to investigate the News24 comments section myself. Yes, there it was:

We’re either dealing with a troll (possible) or somebody who is entirely out of touch with reality (also possible).

Most of those 120 replies were critical, but not all:

Or – bear with me – maybe she was hiding from somebody who was beating the door to the point where his knuckles bled.

Allegedly.

Jantjies appeared in court yesterday on charges of malicious injury to property and contravening the Aviation Act.

The case has been postponed to June 3 for further investigations and possible mediation.