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Zama Steven Khumalo (born 4 June 1987 in Carolina, Mpumalanga) is a South African journalist and n. He caused a public outcry in February 2013 when he invited his Facebook friends to a 'Big Black Braai' to celebrate the deaths of 42 white children who died during the 1985 Westdene dam disaster. He apologised when a hate speech case was referred to the South African Human Rights Commission. Khumalo is one of the three founders of 013NEWS. Background The Westdene dam bus accident happened on 27 March 1985 three years before Khumalo was born. It occurred when the driver of a double-decker bus carrying white pupils lost control and plunged into the Westdene dam, west of Johannesburg, killing 42 white kids. 'Big Black Braai' Khumalo posted that the braai would be on the anniversary of the disaster, March 27, and that there would be DJs and fireworks An employee of Daily Sun at the time, Khumalo was hauled before the South African Human Rights Commission where he apologised for hate speech on 14 February 2013. He told the commission the statement was made in a “state of anger and disappointment". The Daily Sun was one of the complainants in the matter and undertook to monitor Khumalo's Facebook page "for a reasonable time" to ensure that he removes "all unlawful comments within a reasonable period of time". Apology During an interview with the Sunday World, Khumalo --- 24-year-old then --- said the reason he posted the hateful post was because he was reading Albert Luthuli's autobiography Let My People Go, which "evoked so many emotions in me" The commission accepted his apology and asked the complainants to also forgive Khumalo by accepting his apology as well and to consider his age. Khumalo agreed to do a race relations course conducted by Media24 and the commission as well as cleaning the graves of the victims In response, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation organized a commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the Westdene Dam disaster on 23 March 2013 at the site of the tragedy. Khumalo came and addressed the relatives of the victims, repeating he was really sorry about his hurtful statement
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