In a landmark ruling Wednesday, a South African court slapped a three-year sentence, with one year suspended, on a white woman who was convicted of hate speech over racist comments she made toward black police officers, per local news reports.

The back story: The woman, Vicki Momberg, was caught on camera in February 2016 repeatedly referring to the officers as “kaffirs,” an racial slur for black South Africans. The country's senior prosecutor, Yusuf Baba, told local media that the decision should be taken as a stern warning. As this case shows, South Africa is still grappling with its past 24 years after the end of apartheid rule.