A racist video shared by his younger brother had ripped apart the family and their parents had left the country, Nic Catzavelos said on Monday.
Catzavelos told Radio 702 talk show host Eusebius McKaiser on Monday how his brother, Adam, had reached out to him in a total panic asking for help after the video was leaked.
“When I saw the video I could not believe what I was seeing‚” he said.
“He was looking for help. I said to him: ‘There is absolutely nothing I can do for you’.”
Asked whether his brother was a racist‚ he said: “My brother is certainly not a white supremacist. He’s not that interested politically.
“I grew up in a family where we look after each other and it’s very difficult for me to throw my brother under the bus.
“I love him. For me to unequivocally say that he is a racist‚ I find it very difficult to say that; although I would say yes‚ there is racism within him.”
He said the furore had ripped the family apart.
“My parents left yesterday to go overseas. My father and [I] barely said goodbye to each other.”
He said the video was initially shared on a WhatsApp group.
He acknowledged that Adam‚ seven years his junior‚ had previously used the k-word.
“Have I heard my brother use this language before? Yes.
“The last time I heard my brother use this language‚ he went for a hike four months ago in the Drakensberg with two of his mates.
“They were attacked on top of the mountain. He said to me that boulders the size of my head were thrown at his tent while he was sleeping.
“He came down from that hike [and] the first time I saw him he did use this language.
“He was furious and said to me: ‘I’ve had enough of this country. I don’t want to live like this any more. You cannot even go for a walk in the mountains.’
“And he used that word‚ specifically.”
Companies that did business with the family’s firm‚ St George’s Fine Foods‚ have cut ties as the fallout continues.
Adam has apologised for the video‚ saying he had been “thoughtless and insensitive”.
He said: “I have watched my video and feel total shame. It is hard to put into words what I want to say and genuinely apologise.”
- TimesLIVE