Former South African Idols judge Gareth Cliff will now be reported to the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC) following his racist remarks during an episode of his show, The Burning Platform.
During the show, Cliff indicated to Mudzuli Rakhivhane that her experience of racism was completely anecdotal and unimportant. Rakhivhane then took to social media to express her disgust as she shared a snippet of the incident.
When they try to talk over you and tell you that your experiences as a black woman in South Africa do not matter??♀️. Racism is structural and even operates at a municipal level. The literal definition of black lives don’t matter. ? pic.twitter.com/i2KcVzjcCd
— Mudzuli Rakhivhane (@mudzy_r) October 22, 2021
A statement by the South African Natives Forum who will lodge the complaint against Cliff said that they condemn the host for treating Mudzuli Rakhivhane in such a racist manner to the point of saying that “nobody cares” about the racism she experiences as a black woman.
“We condemned the continued racism, bigotry, and injustice displayed in the strongest terms. We will be reporting this racist incident to the Human Rights,” the statement said.
Press Statement: 25/10/2021#PoliticalChicken #GarethCliff #GarethCliffMustFall #cliffcentral pic.twitter.com/hTCGxHMJSm
— South African Natives Forum (@SANativesForum) October 25, 2021
In the meantime, South African fast-food franchise Nandos, has ended its five-year sponsorship of Cliff’s show with immediate effect after they were scrutinized all over social media. Nandos said in a statement that,” Nando’s supports healthy debate and the right to freedom of speech. For this reason, we have for years invested in supporting in multiple platforms that enable one discussion of big issues facing South Africans.”
Also read: Competing fast-food chain kicks Nandos while it’s down following Cliff scandal
Meanwhile, the forum further criticised Nando’s for not condemning Cliff’s remarks when they terminated their sponsorship with his show. The organisation said this now indicates that they condone his racism, and they will also now view any company that sponsors Cliff and his work as racist too.
Also read:
A look into SA’s latest controversy ft. Gareth Cliff and Nandos
Picture: The Burning Platform: OneSA vs The DA with Cliff