Disabled People SA demands dismissal of Minister Majodina after video shows her swearing at disabled man

Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina is facing calls to be removed from her position after a video circulated on social media showed her swearing at a disabled man while ordering him to leave a community hall in Kouga municipality, Eastern Cape.

What happened

The video published in media reports captured Majodina shouting an expletive at the man. The published account quoted her as having shouted:

“Jou ma se p*es.”

Majodina’s response

Majodina said she reacted after a resident swore at her while he was being removed from the venue. She described her remarks as part of the human experience and said she “sincerely apologise[d] to the people of Kouga and to all South Africans.” She also said she “take[s] responsibility for my conduct and regret[s] responding by using the same words directed at me.”

DPSA: apology not enough

Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) said Majodina’s apology was insufficient and announced plans to escalate the matter. DPSA national chair Patrick Mahlakoane said the organisation “will write to South African Human Rights Commission.”

Mahlakoane said the organisation wanted Majodina to be fired:

“We need to protect persons with disabilities from any form of abuse. We actually want her to be fired for what she did even if she did claim to apologise.”

Rights and public responsibility

Mahlakoane said the incident was disturbing and emphasised constitutional protections. He said the “rights of persons with disabilities are protected by the constitution of South Africa and by the country’s commitment to equality, human dignity and non-discrimination.” He added that “public office bearers have a particular responsibility to uphold these principles.”

Broader concerns

Mahlakoane said the organisation was outraged and concerned about the continued marginalisation of people with disabilities and warned that democracy could not be sustained if people with disabilities were excluded from meaningful participation.

Related incidents and reactions

Media reports noted the Majodina incident came weeks after criticism of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero for swearing at a resident during a community engagement. Reputation expert Tshepo Matseba said public representatives need training to handle confrontations and that condemnation after the fact is not enough to address wider leadership risks.

Matseba said leaders should show emotional maturity, restraint and empathy and that citizens judge parties by how leaders behave when confronted by those they were elected to serve.