We are not racist, say models

Johannesburg - Two young women who went to war with racist tweets last week were all innocence on Thursday.

"We don't have problems with each other, we don't have problems with any race," 22-year-old marketing student Tshidi Thamana said in Johannesburg after she met model Jessica Leandra dos Santos.

Democratic Alliance national spokesperson Mmusi Maimane arranged a meeting with the two women at his home in Roodepoort. The two shook hands and posed for pictures.

"We just happened to be individuals that got very upset and very carried away in a tweet on social media and I think we are owning up to it today," Thamana said. 

'Didn't realise the impact'

Jessica, who started the spat with a racist tweet, said: "I didn't realise the impact my tweet would have had on the people [it] offended. We do aim to reconcile and get the nation back to where it was."

On 3 May, Dos Santos told her 2 591 followers: "Just, well took on an arrogant and disrespectful kaffir inside Spar. Should have punched him, should have [sic]."

She now has 7 263 followers.

Dos Santos, who was men's magazine FHM model of the year in 2011, has since deleted the controversial tweet and posted an apology on her blog jessicaleandra.com

In response to this on 7 May, Tshidi tweeted: "Dear Mr Peter Mokaba, I wish all whites had been killed when you sang 'Kill the Boer', then we wouldn't have to experience @JessicaLeandra's racism."

Maimane said: "Its been a journey for both Jess and for Tshidi ... I felt we needed to give each of these girls an opportunity to communicate to each other and certainly to communicate to you out there."

Maimane said he would write a letter to the Human Rights Commission containing evidence about the matter. Several people submitted complaints about the two women to the commission.