The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) doesn’t really make the news that often these days. When they do, it’s not normally a good sign, one way or the other.

Over the weekend, social media comments made by Major Mohlala caused quite a stir. The comments involved Mohlala referring to white South Africans while reacting to a photo of a badly beaten 80-year-old man.

According to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Shadow Minister of Defence, Kobus Marais, Mohlala is from the Signal Formation at the Wonderboom-Military Base in Pretoria.

In his comment, Mohlala called on the man in the photo’s attackers to go one step further.

“Should actually have poked out his eyes and tongue so that the last people he would ever see, were the killers and he could go to his grave with the nightmare.” “Apartheid is in him. All of these old white people think we are stupid when they say they were opposed to apartheid. We will not forget what they have done. Now it is the white people’s turn.”

Marais has said that his party will write to the Minister of Defence to request that she investigate the allegation of “hate speech and race-based incitement of violence”.

The DA has labelled the remarks “simply unacceptable” given Mohlala’s position.

Marais beleives that the Major has currently “only received a warning of future disciplinary action”.

“This is simply not enough given the seriousness of his breach of non-racialism and respect for human dignity. Minister Mapisa-Nqakula must initiate the appropriate disciplinary processes against Major Mohlala, urgently.” “Major Mohlala has the privilege of serving in our armed forces. His mandate is to protect our nation, not to add to the high levels of crime or promoting violence and racial hatred.”

The DA also intends to report the incident to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for further investigation.