Radio Jock Gareth Cliff’s “Dear Government” letter may have been criticised this week, but the Idols judge has done what many ordinary citizens – and journalists – have been unable to do. Not only did he get a prompt response from the Presidency to his letter but he also secured a meeting with President Jacob Zuma at the Union Buildings on Tuesday.
Now his scathing attack on the government has spawned more public letters to Zuma, including one from University of the Free State head Jonathan Jansen, as well as a website, www.deargovernment.co.za.
In his letter, Cliff called Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande “ugly”; said Zuma’s children, born out of wedlock, were being unfairly enriched; and railed against the abuses of black economic empowerment.
“My letter is sincere and concerned, not looking for a fight,” he said, defending his penned words.
On Wednesday, Jeremy Gordin, the director of the Justice Project of the Wits Journalism School, in his column on Politicsweb.co.za, expressed his irritation with Cliff, who he likened to the comic book character Tintin, “or the mildly tousled, dough-faced boys I encountered in locker rooms when I played rugby in south Sweden”.
“Good thing, though, that Cliff’s not a babe magnet… But I am feeling quite pissed off with Cliff. Here he is, some DJ, as I say, and he’s gone and written an open letter to Zuma. Now this in itself is fair enough; I think more people should write open letters to JGZ, though they needn’t necessarily be as crass as Cliff is. (He talks at one point about there being ‘more presidential bastard children’. He sounds like some of the rude and unruly people who write messages on this site.)”
Gordin wrote that what annoyed him was that presidential spokesman Zizi Kodwa had contacted Cliff after The Times newspaper sent him a copy.
“Kodwa, who is in Egypt with Zuma on a state visit, told The Times that he had ‘requested a meeting with Gareth Cliff when I return on Thursday or Friday so that I can understand better the issues he is raising… You could have blown me down with the proverbial feather!”
Gordin said he recently wrote an open letter to Zuma for two men who have been incarcerated for 17 years for a crime they didn’t commit.
“And ZZ Top wasn’t remotely interested in discussing the case. Yet, even from the shadow of the Sphinx, while eating hummus and smiling at Hosni Mubarak’s courtiers, he’s willing to set up a meeting with dough-boy.”
But Gordin’s criticism was just the beginning: readers and bloggers responded on websites labelling Cliff a “white Juju” and a “racist”.
The Young Communist League was incandescent at Cliff’s cheek. Mafika Mndebele, the KwaZulu Natal provincial spokesperson of the Young Communist League, called on the SABC, 5FM and reality TV show Idols, jointly and severally, to discipline him.
“The forebears of our democracy, those who died, were exiled and executed by the apartheid regime for their noble commitment to build a non-racial and a classless society must be turning in their graves to hear that an uncultured white ignoramus seeks to present himself as the voice of the voiceless, while actually embarking on concerted racial slurs under the guise of the freedom of speech.”
But Cliff hit back on his Facebook page: “If you’re not interested in your country, why should your country be interested in you? President Zuma set up a hotline a year ago because he wanted us to give him feedback. Young people in this country are committed to making it work. Here’s a list of things that need attention. Do you agree?
“Looking forward to meeting with the President’s Office next week to discuss our views further and engage in constructive dialogue. Absolutely!”
And on Friday, speaking to the Saturday Star, Cliff said: “I cannot speculate on why the president is loath to talk to journalists. The point of my letter and the reaction to it is that it isn’t about me. These are things I have taken from interactions with listeners to my radio show, followers on Twitter and Facebook, and from personal interactions. It’s not about what I do or who I am. It’s about being interested and passionate about this country.” - Saturday Star