[imagesource: Instagram / @charlizeafrica]

Charlize Theron would be well advised to cease making further comments about Afrikaans or Afrikaners.

During a conversation with the SmartLess comedy podcast featuring Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett last month, she said Afrikaans was a “dying language” that was “definitely not helpful”. She also made a hyperbolic joke that there are “about 44 people still speaking it”.

Cue outrage, think pieces, open letters, and Steve Hofmeyr getting his knickers into a twist.

Charlize has yet to publicly respond to the backlash and had gone all of a month without posting on Instagram. She broke that duck this week:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Charlize Theron (@charlizeafrica)

A post about pledging to raise funds for an NGO that will buy and maintain bicycles for African Parks, a conservation organisation – that’s nice.

Well, those who were upset about her comments had been waiting for this moment and they came in hot.

Some of the comments on that post include:

• PRAAT AFRIKAANS ASB SODAT AL ONS SUID AFRIKANERS KAN VERSTAAN. WANT VOLGENS JOU IS DAAR NET 44 WAT AFRIKAANS PRAAT IN SUID AFRIKA EN JY BLY AL LANKAL NIE MEER HIER NIE.
• Jy moet die Afrika uit jou naam uit vat, grap van n ding.
• I will donate if they can speak afrikaans
• My taal is mos nie baie “helpful” nie en dus dan ook nie my geld nie.
• Moenie vir Suid Afrkaanse Mense Vra vir donasies want jy is nie a Suid Afrikaans mens nie. Vra die Amerikanse Mense. Bly uit van SuidAfrika jys nie welkom hierso.
• Maybe an apology to all Afrikaaners about your latest inaccurate knowledge… Gaan vra geld iewers anders, muskien jou skoolgeld wat duidelik nie ghelp het nie. Jys n joke

You get the picture.

I always wonder what kind of person feels the need to hurl abuse at celebs on social media. You really showed her, @baksteen1652.

Let’s see a few more:

• Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the dumbest person on earth?…Duidelik is Charlize Theron. Daai vrou is brainless en dan nog k*k lelik ook!!!
• Jou idioot. Jy is ‘n grap. Fok of
• Leer hulle van kondome

There’s that racism showing through. Good work. That’ll show everyone.

At least there was the odd humorous take:

pic.twitter.com/7Z2GxJacJX

— Nandi Labuschange (@nandigold13) November 29, 2022

[source:southafrican]