Jessica Leandra dos Santos ‘incident, another case of protecting “white bodies from rapacious black sexuality”?

May 5, 2012 · 73 Comments

Cape Town model, Jessica Leandra dos Santos.

Although circumstances surrounding the incident that prompted a racial outburst by Cape Town model, Jessica Leandra dos Santos, remain unclear at this stage, it has sparked interest here at Political Analysis South Africa, compelling us to explore if whether or not this incident is another instance of what Dorrit Posel in 2004 termed the “protection of white bodies from rapacious black sexuality”.

In explaining her use of the word “kaffir” ; a derogatory term used to refer to black South Africans during apartheid, Jessica Leandra dos Santos stated that the use of the word was an angry response to “sexual remarks and sounds” by a “gentleman” inside a grocery store on 3 May.

For this piece we ignore questions hanging over the appropriateness of her response, specifically that of invoking a sexual harassment defence when her initial post on twitter was clearly of “triumph and conquest” over what she termed an “arrogant and disrespectful kaffir”.

Instead we focus on why, if indeed, there were verbal sexual advances by the “gentlemen” at “Spar”, would she bring his race into the picture, to the point of using a racial slur? Does it perhaps have to do with long held views about black sexuality by white South Africans?

Black sexuality has been the subject of negative ‘white obsession’ ever since the beginning of colonisation in South Africa, especially the period after the British took over in the Cape, bringing with them attitudes and injustices from the Americas and the Caribbean; albeit under the guise of “liberalism” – attitudes which to this day dominate discourse on black sexuality.

Viewed from the perspective of the British and the Dutch ‘colonisers’, black sexuality was something to be dominated, feared and punished. Black females, perceived to be devoid of ‘normal morality’ but ‘highly sexed’ if not ‘over-sexed’ were made to be sexual subjects – ostensibly not good enough to be considered as ‘normal’ people, but sufficing as tools for recreational and sometimes reproductive sexual intercourse with white males.

Black males on the other hand were seen as lustful, pursuing white women; who in turn would often came to desire black men – making them a threat to white male sexuality. It was then befitting, white colonisers argued, that such behaviour be prevented and when it occurred, to be severely punished.

As a result, fear of black male sexuality permeated colonial life and was linked that black violence; a logical expectation from a subjugated people, which ‘colonialists’ assumed would be accompanied by sexual carte blanche and the ravishing of white women. White women needed to be protected from such “rapacious black sexuality” – resulting at times to the castration of many black males.

Fast-forward to almost 300 years later, much of the same antagonisms remain. White South African males continue to view the sexuality of their black counterparts as a threat and through the creation of myths which among other things include the size of black male genitalia and the incessant need to keep their white race “pure” have perpetuated the same views as before. Not surprising given that interracial mixing, or the lack thereof, was the fundamental principle behind the creation of Apartheid South Africa.

Black South Africans, both male and female continue to lust after their white counterparts – at least according to surveys indicating a greater predilection towards interracial relationships among urban blacks more than any other race group in South Africa.

For blacks, a new hurdle that seems to reinforce age-old beliefs about black sexuality – HIV/AIDS. Stereotypes often used to explain the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among South Africa’s blacks have formed further barriers for black South Africans – with some white south Africans viewing them as oversexed carriers of the HIV/AIDS virus.

This, together with long-standing stereotypes has culminated in a scenario where any attempt to approach, comment or even view a white woman as beautiful or pretty (which I would argue was the case in Jessica Leandra’s dos Santos’ case given her modelling career) is considered taboo, guarded against and usually warrants a hostile verbal response

Consider the case of Jessica Foord for a moment. Jessica Food is a Durban resident gang-raped by five black South African males. Her incident drew a huge outcry from the South African public – naturally, it was a heinous crime. However, the uproar by white South Africans was mostly driven by anger against the fact that the perpetrators were: 1) black and that 2) blacks were now raping white women together with black women – supposing then that the same crime against the latter is not worth an uproar in the ‘white community’.

As result, what transpired earlier this week between Jessica Leandra dos Santos and the “gentlemen” at Spar may be explained using this “fear of black sexuality” – assuming that you accept the preceding argument.

Jessica Leandra Do Santo’s case is part of a bigger problem. So entrenched are beliefs of the apartheid idea of “separateness” that South Africans do not even bother to interact with each other – the 2011 South African Reconciliation Barometer Survey revealed that some 42% of South Africa’s population does not socialise nor form deeper social relationships across racial lines.

While it may be easy to surmise this latest incident as yet another act linked to the age-old “protection of white bodies”; specifically white women, from rapacious black sexuality – such a conclusion would not be complete. South Africans whether be they black, white, coloured or Indian, seem to be too pessimistic about race relations. Long held views and attitudes towards social relationships are only partial explanation for the low levels of interaction, which have remained relatively static since 2003. Greater effort by all stakeholders, especially the government is necessary to complete South Africa’s deracialisation – not the idea of race but its apartheid construct.

- Political Analysis South Africa

John1

Interesting that this is the insane political view you took from this incident.
GM

Good grief, clearly you’re a racist yourself, you’re no better than Dos Santos. Interesting that you didn’t post your name at the end.
Norman Mcfarlane

Poorly written, unsubstantiated, contradictory, inflammatory innuendo.
Paul C

So with all that history explained, why do black people not fear white guys? Afterall whites used the black ladies for recreation……
Paul C

So with all that history explained, why do black people not fear white guys? Afterall whites used the black ladies for recreation……
Bazza

what kaffir wrote this shit?
Kreepyklowns

Historically sloppy, ham-fisted and leaves the central contention – the historical discourse that constructed black male bodies as oversexed, threatening and so requiring disciplinary supervision – underdefined, underexamined and so far too vague and historically unspecific. My suspicion is that Leandra’s use of that offensive term reflects as much a class-anxiety as a racial one – the elite modelling and fashion-world is racially well-integrated and singularly liberal – sexualised bodies (black white male female) are their stock-in-trade, and not an object of fear (be sensible before you spout hand-me-down academic-isms). Leandra’s response is more credible if some form of sexual advance came from someone who was black but also lower or working-class, also a latent sense of the epiphet she used, and the apparently ironic use of the word ‘gentleman’ to describe him further reinforces this. A class issue, as much as a racial one.
lwilliams

through experience i think younger white / coloured south africans are eager to / do cross the rubicon, it’s just that their progress is hampered by older influential family/peer group members whose prejudices are inadvertently passed on, albeit at a decreasing rate.
As a father i firmly believe our children should be educated in and socially exposed to as a diverse an ethnic environment as possible.

@ bazza…go fuck yourself
Mr.Swart

if it was not for the news she had made of calling somebody a word that is “so-called” taboo, I would never have known who she was, but in my dictionary the word “kaffer” means to rape somebody, to murder somebody or to steal from some one, and this word can impose on any colour of person not only black people, but black people can not be mad seeing they give themselves a bad name in general when it come to crime in south africa.
Mbali Khumalo

go fuck yourself! A kaffir is inbetween your mothers thigh’s. Lmfbkao where do you freshees still come from with that term…. Lol
Dgraider

Wow. What a load of crock. As one of the respondents remarked – clearly you are a racist yourself – because, yes, black on white racism does exist – although it is not politically correct to respond to it. Due to the years of injustice it seems that it is the RIGHT of the black person to say whatever he/she wants.

This country will NEVER become non-racial as long as black people perceive themselves to be the victim all the time. It is close on 20 years since democracy, black and white should start coming to grips with the fact that our biggest issues are not white/black but corruption/crime and ultimately, economic survival.

The black dude shouldve shut up, the white chick shouldve reported him and shut up herself, and you, the poster of this article should sit down and rethink your motives with this piece of drivel that you sent into the world
Jasonwaters101

fucking racist article fuck off you cunt
Jasonwaters101

fuck you dude show you face you cunt internet troll
http://profile.yahoo.com/IZA4GHAQGZS76KKKNSIUZODLXE kwazi

man fuck you
afrikaneer

go and fuck your fucking mother
Anonymous

kwazi, what sort of filth are you? Who brought you up? If you want to use this kind of language, do it at your home and not in public.There are plenty of civilised people reading these pages. Please become civilised.
Mrmabusha

come on! she is smoking hot so it doesn’t take a person of any colour to be a pervet about it. i think it could have been anyone to make a comment about her. I think her anger just let her express herself clearly. Obviously her feelings towards other groups of people has no place in the society we strive for as a country honestly it is wasting time man
Veshalen

ha ha lol ….this seems like a topic you cant speak of on a blog either …
looks like you`re the victim this time kwazi
Veshalenr

JV you need to read the other comments
rightback@you

Now thats south african right there…an afrikaneer revealing their best practises during the “Great Trek”

FUCKING HONKIE
Slo

Amazing, the only word in the dictionary to be out lawed. LMFAO
The Concerned Citizen

I am not suprised that ANY woman in South Africa overreacts if she is approached with sexual overtones by ANY man. We have the worst rape statistics in the world according to Interpol. If you are a woman in RSA,you have greater chances of being raped than learn to read. I am amazed that this incident has once again being turned into “poor-blacks-being-abused-by-ruthless-whites” situation.

Just a while ago Malema called all whites thieves. Was your outcry as vocal as your response to this woman’s remark? I am sure that Mr. Malema had equal chance of being raped as this woman – especially behind an army of bodyguards. By the way – I the evil white man – have paid for his bodyguards from my taxes.

It is scary to be a woman in this country.
DRM

It is disturbing that you call yourself a political analyst, author. Your views are just as disturbing as those held by Dos Santos. It fascinates me how you uphold your views as true on other people. Is this an assumption we are drawing that white SA or anywhere in the world for that matter are least affected by HIV/AIDS? What has your mama’s been teaching you gosh. It is also interesting the views you hold about being blacks as non Africans are conceived though a different system and not through sex…Abusive and pervesion existed way before white imposed on South African land and it is evidently so by the bred called “coloreds” in South Africa. Given the history of the system I can almost bet that black gardeners weren’t out to rape their mavrou but highly likely that white Mnr violated his black maid sexually and then sent her away to clear self of shame…

I beg to differ about all blacks playing victims, I and many other blacks are not intermediated by whites “pinkies” as i think the color interpretation has been distorted somehow; it is evident that your skin color is more pinker than white and most of us are more brown than black and we do not assume that we are any better than the other. We will associate with whoever make human sense, irrespective of their color and upbringing!

Let’s go back to the basics, shall we; if you were created in any better system than your parents mating and your mom waiting 9 months to give birth to you; then we can talk of difference, the rest of human intervention and “systems” is trivial. And sober minded and less protectiveness of self could collectively solve some of these problems. but then again, if we are not so busy feeling superior and others proving to be not inferior what would be this world of our be? so we focus on less significance issues of race and cover up on stealing of natural resources and land from Africans cause we are to a shame to look at ourselves as monsters; so victimize the already victimized, right? If you are intemidated by Africans in their own land and for whatever reasons you think you are any better than your racial ancestors who sexually violated their African maids then the South Africa we live in now is not your home; shouldn’t be your home. Old fashioned!

Fear is a dangerous emotion, it makes people loose logic. The author is right about one thing though, fear drove SA colonizers to created a system called apartheid. On the other hand, courage by Africans in SA drove the system out for to create a democratic system; although with its flaws it has however created a platform for recognition and assured the likes of me that none of you all is superior than me and that the rest is up to me. If non Africans in SA are not willing to deal with blacks in South Africa and by that i do not mean hooliganism as all races have traces of such; May I suggest they be fearful enough and do themselves a favor and protect themselves elsewhere or get to discover the other side!

gosh, stop writing stuff that your children wouldn’t be proud of should they happen to read your comments….
Kwazindlela

i am probably more civilised and educated then you. I was brought by my parents who both got phds and i have one as well you are stupid
http://www.facebook.com/people/Eugene-Digter-Terre-Blanche/100001031917433 Eugene Digter Terre Blanche

Ah, a negrophile. I hope you don’t have sex with your kids, too. There should be some morals, too.
Kwazindlela

As soon as you see a name like mine you think stupid and filth i will let you know i have probably seen more of the world then you and probably more educated then you ‘Who brought you up’ comment stupid it’s my opinion i can say what i want JohnnieVercuil. You are just typical Mr Swart view was stupid and ignorant i have nothing left to say to you except your are just the typical backward white south african who cant embrace change.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Eugene-Digter-Terre-Blanche/100001031917433 Eugene Digter Terre Blanche

Excuse me, but what was wrong with what Jessica was doing. She was sexually harassed and noticed the ethnicity of the perpetrator. What’s wrong with that? In case you object to the word. Do a search on http://www.archive.org with the word. Brings up many books and not derogatory ones.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

fuck off you cunt
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

why dont you kill yourself dude you are full of shit
Mr.Swart

Kwazi, your parents might have brought you up to attain a degree in whatever, but clearly they haven’t taught you any manners. the truth hurts and seeing that all the prisons are over populated with black people makes it so much more difficult to trust a black man from the street, I’m sorry but that is the truth. second I would just like to know what Jessica was wearing ? my grandfather use to say, if you are not in the advertisement business don’t advertise ! I can understand Jessica’s problem but if she went out with little clothes as possible she cant be pissed the black guy got ideas, it is in human nature but, now this is just my opinion and I think its in the majority of black men so have sexual encounters with white girls and by this I back up my statement with the additional porn that’s available where its black and white together and with that mentality black men venture the streets looking for white girls, okay sorry I’m getting of the point here, Kwazi you must understand that even if our blood is the same our skin is not but most important of all is the mentality that is completely different.
Johnnie Vercuil

It does not look as if your phd taught you anything, for one it should have taught you how to spell and also how to write English.You still have lots to learn in this life before you are accepted by the human race.
Johnnie Vercuil

Kwazindlela, I do not know where you come into the picture, because I wrote to kwazi, and about the language he used.
Johnnie Vercuil

Mind the language, you bloody baboon.
Kwazindlela

I got my phd from the university college of london in the UK a top 10 university my master from UEL and work for a top 10 world company you are just an ignorant old man Mr Vercuil. I have done very well for myself in my young life. Dont tell me about spelling English anyway i feel sorry for you sad old man
Kwazindlela

fully agree Jason
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

Let me tell you something you cracker dont fuck with me i will fuck you up
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

fuck you cracker
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Brown/100003805452720 Chris Brown

a dog is a dog and a kaffer is n kaffer , finish en klaar !
Dragon200916

i agree with what she did the guy was a disrespectful black just cause she modals underwear and stuff that doesnt mean blacks must disrespect the white girls i have a niece and if any blacks try that with my niece i would beat him within an inch of his life
http://www.facebook.com/people/Eugene-Digter-Terre-Blanche/100001031917433 Eugene Digter Terre Blanche

Jason, it seems as if I have hit a nerve.
We love the world!

So much love….
Genie

This girl work for Dimension DATA, really????????????????
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

fuck you cracker Racist bastard
Panjo

A Kaffir is yo mother’s dysfunctional clit
Panjo

typical,Velskoen rooi vel afrikaaner with Verwoed ideologies be glad Chris Hani died
u f*ckers wud never see wats comin–like Pik Botha with his d*ck in a bush woman
Panjo

same one dats be f*ckin yo mom when yo dad has drowned in his Klippies and Cola–be sure glad that yo mom’s gened are stronger than Mr Moloi–otherwise u wud be evident with Kroes hare
Darkbishopp

This is inexcusable Jessica Leandra Dos Santos should be taken to court
Donbith

The amount of hate in South-Africa makes me want to leave the country.
Yes, there is black on white Racism. A lot of it.
and vice versa.
Im just amazed at the racial tension, the post below.
#smh.
really dont know what to say.
Speechless.
Pdv

u2
Anonymous

its funny how ppl like 2 have a big mouth over the net but if they had 2 meet the person they want 2 fuck up they would cower away and i wont name names but we all know who the monkey is whos doing most of the swearing here
Anonymous

She should of kicked him in the nuts.
Anonymous

u got a phd in stupidity from the university of dumb ass and the only reason u got that phd is cause ur black and they had 2 give it 2 u
Anonymous

Its not because of your name we think you are stupid and filth it because of the language you use. Swearing shows a lack of culture and a limited vocabulary and most of the swearing on heren is done by blacks. Maybe as dragon says you don’t learn English at the Unversity of Dumdass. Would you say that to our faces.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

i would your kick ass show a picture u troll talking bad about blacks internet troll
Anonymous

hey big mouth u must learn 2 speak english u couldnt kick any ones ass and u r all talk and no action
Mandela

Africa has a bigger/nigger problem. No african country is part of the G8. so blacks aren’t that smart after all.
Anonymous

none of u blacks say anything 2 me r all u monkeys scared of me
Tumi Thekiso

wow..when we cant get our points across we attack.it really is a sad society that when a black and white have a difference you have to open scabs and wounds so the other can hear you. play games of inferiority and superiority so you can feel worse or better. whicheve works for you. let us not forget that racism ( or a racist) is not something that is genetically ingrained. sexuality too is not something you are born aware of..its through a serious of learn social norms that you will act ,speak or think. if you find a little girl who was raised in post apartheid South Africa still using slurs that were used by her grand parents and great grand parents. you then become aware that she is raised in an environment that still preaces white superiority and black inferiority. i cannot understand a normal looking household with parents and kids discussing “kaffirs” as a normal subject in their household. without stopping to think the emotional scars it left behind..its okay to be proud..whether you are white or black..but degrading someone to appear better is just low..even for a pretty intelligent girl.its a shame for her then and anyone little girl that grows up in a family that teaches, moulds and prunes its future generations that hateful speech is okay……..now i can probably talk till my hair turns grey with rape stats of this country. the social behaviour of men, their sexual image in relation to woman is so appauling. and it also tells you that he is raised in a household where woman are of no value. this too is a moral issue and touches everybit of my nerves like the “dirty mouthed girl” it goes back to how his father raised him and what kind of a man he was to his mother or other woman in his life that the alleged sexuall perprator would have learnt this behaviour……………its easy to start cursing and swearing and being bosses and victims. i know how it feels because im a woman and i too have faced hungry men..lets look at how we raise our kids to be better south africans..lets expose them to different ways, different cultures ,the rights and wrongs..and facts….its not okay and will never be okay for anyone to bring back that “k” word…and we must teach little boys how to be better man..by leading by examples. learnt behaviour>>>the key words..you are not born a racist or a sexual harraser..it is all learnt behaviour. all you people have an opportunity to teach and learn…and mostly have an ability to choose your words.
Expat

Ha ha… this is precisely why I’ve immigrated.
Jan-Jan

The public outcry after the private remark she made on her Twitter page, is typical of the hypocritical reversed racism we are all suffering under.
She made the remark possibly still traumatised by the unwanted, uninvited, unprovoked and outright rude invasion of her privacy by a harassing male, just happening to be a black. If it was a white and she called him a chauvinist or a boer, nothing would come of it.
But because we have this black race with its built-in inferiority complex who is trying its utmost to manifest itself by invading our lives with brutal physical attacks (just read the news about farm attacks, armed robberies, horrendous barbarism to defenceless old white people) and more surreptitious assaults like staring, leering, making degrading remarks, making marriage proposals in the passages of buildings, touching women in lifts, etc., we have to treat them like eggs.
They have a black managers’ forum, a black lawyers’ association, a black editors’ forum, etc., etc., to help them out the ditch they’re in – and that’s not racism, but if we would start the same ‘white’ forum, even worse a ‘white Afrikaner’, that would be racism.
Jan-Jan

The public outcry after the private remark she made on her Twitter page, is typical of the hypocritical reversed racism we are all suffering under.
She made the remark possibly still traumatised by the unwanted, uninvited, unprovoked and outright rude invasion of her privacy by a harassing male, just happening to be a black. If it was a white and she called him a chauvinist or a boer, nothing would come of it.
But because we have this black race with its built-in inferiority complex who is trying its utmost to manifest itself by invading our lives with brutal physical attacks (just read the news about farm attacks, armed robberies, horrendous barbarism to defenceless old white people) and more surreptitious assaults like staring, leering, making degrading remarks, making marriage proposals in the passages of buildings, touching women in lifts, etc., we have to treat them like eggs.
They have a black managers’ forum, a black lawyers’ association, a black editors’ forum, etc., etc., to help them out the ditch they’re in – and that’s not racism, but if we would start the same ‘white’ forum, even worse a ‘white Afrikaner’, that would be racism.
Hartley

A Boer would always be a Boer. One cannot expect a leopard to change it’s spots!!!!
Jan-Jan

Tumi talks a lot of sense – without the ‘previously disadvantaged’ rhetoric which is so hard to get rid of. Even our Ministers, when they talk to powerful Western Countries, emphasizes “what can you do for me/my country” in stead of saying “you know what we can do for you/your country are the following…”.
I am looking forward to hear the black unions declaring “that we will improve our productivity to make this country work” rather than “we demund more money, more privileges” without contributing to the pot where all this has to come out of.
Jan-Jan

I would just like to remark on Lindiwe Mazibuko’s inappropriate attack on Jessica Dos Santos’ tweet after her harassment by a rude male. I agree that, despite her (JDS’s) emotions after the unfortunate incident, her tweet was uncalled for – you have to stay political correct regardless of how you feel – but it was an emotional reaction, a spur of the moment thing.
But then Me Mazibuko, leader of the DA in Parliament, vents a premeditated rasial hate attack slandering her character by calling her a “terrible (gruwelike)” woman. She had the advantage of planning her attack. And how unparliamentary that is.
For a prominent political leader! That leaves her wide open for criticism. Take for instance how she dresses. She is overweight to the point of being obese at her young age depicting her as a glutton and then she dresses totally inapropiately She bursts out of her dresses and wears a mini-skirt to the parliamentary opening showing off her grotesque legs.
Why don’t someone who likes her advise her on how to dress properly?
Sorry, but all the honest hard work Helen Zille does is thwarted by this undiplomatic move. One is almost forced to come to the conclusion of “after all, what did you expect?”
Reaper5639

@ Jason you are an idiot! You keep saying “cunt”, do you even know how disrespectfull you are against women when you use that word? And to the white people on here who are attacking the black people….WTF are you guys thinking? Just stop this shit! The same goes to the black people attacking the white people. Look at all the news on twitter that is being used by celebrities, they are just seeking attention. We should not grant them that and start attacking eachother. I am a white South African male and I have many close black friends, and I never see that they hate me or are racist to me. Do you know why?? Because I treat them with the same respect I treat myself and I get that respect back. We are all different in color, culture and religion but we are still humans, not animals. Open your eyes and look at South Africa, look at we became and look at where we stand now…this country is full of crime and corruption and we CAN change that if we just stand together. So lets get off our asses and make some change!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Waters/672191795 Jason Waters

fuck you cracker suck my dick what do you do for living boy
http://profile.yahoo.com/2RLFMSY6CDNCR6XOUEJJU7CL2M Wayne Mullen

im not ur boy kaffer and what i do 4 a living is none of ur business as 4 sucking ur dick im sure ur father did that 4 u already so go and fuck urself u dumb monkey
Anonymous

hey dumbass i c u dont have much 2 say now
Anonymous

was that your goal?
Anonymous

Did she comment on his height, shoe size, eye color? When you are annoyed with a white person, do you say “ugh this white person was bothering me”?
Jan-jan

Kwazindela, all your experience taught you nothing about English grammar and spelling!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1227091473 Qamran Tabo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYnaFQlxyQ check this out. very thought provoking
Nico Bester

You can rather put this rubbish on your own counterpart’s genitalia. I think that it is rather a religion issue than apartheid. Appartheid is already almost 20years in the past. Its a lifetime, so wake up!!

Society

Jessica Leandra dos Santos ‘incident, another case of protecting “white bodies from rapacious black sexuality”?

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