‘Cliff not more racist than other judges’

Gareth Cliff and his lawyer Eric Mabuza outside the South Gauteng High Court where an urgent application against his former employer M-Net was heard. PHOTO: Getrude Makhafola/ANA

Gareth Cliff and his lawyer Eric Mabuza outside the South Gauteng High Court where an urgent application against his former employer M-Net was heard. PHOTO: Getrude Makhafola/ANA

Published Jan 26, 2016

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Johannesburg - Fired Idols SA judge Gareth cliff was discriminated against by M-Net compared to the other two fellow judges mainly because he is white, the South Gauteng High Court heard on Tuesday.

Cliff’s legal representative Advocate Dali Mpofu compared Cliff’s controversial tweet to those posted by his Idols collegues, Unathi Msengana and Somizi Mhlongo, and added that the two committed the worst offences but were let off by the broadcaster.

“If Msengana and Mhlongo responded to Cliff’s tweet and said people do not understand freedom of speech, we would not be here. This is being done to him by white supremacists because he is white..you will never come across a case like this again,” Mpofu told the court.”

Read:  Cliff the architect of his own downfall - M-Net

“Their (M-Net) reasons are offensive to black people.”

Naspers, who are the owners of M-Net, were part of an apartheid system that perpetuated a racist system against black people, said Mpofu.

He added Mhlongo’s remarks on Instagram were perceived as racist but no internal processes were instituted against him by M-Net.

Legal representative for M-Net, Advocate Wim Trengove stood up and told Judge Caroline Nicholls that Mpofu was doing nothing but insulting his client.

Read:  Cliff ‘a poster boy for racism’

A confrontation ensued between Mpofu and Trengove after Mpofu argued that he would not tolerate being interrupted while he was still addressing the court.

After Mpofu finished, Trengrove asked why Cliff would want his job back with white supremacists.

“If they are white supremacists who committed genocide, why fight to be re-employed by them? This is an irrelevant insult,” Trengove said.

Msengana and Mhlongo had to apologise publicly after posting controversial statements on social media last year.

Read:  Gareth Cliff case not about racism - Mpofu

Mhlongo lashed out at “white racists” during the “ZumaMustFall” campaign when protesters took to the streets demanding that President Jacob Zuma step down, after he had controversially removed former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene.

Msengana was taken off air by employer the SABC following a twitter rant with a university of student during the debate around the “Luister” video, which highlighted racial discrimination at the University of Stellenbosch. She was brought back on air after five weeks, having issued an apology.

Mpofu said his client should not have been treated differently from his colleagues.

“Actually we are not saying Msengana and Mhlongo be fired, no. We are saying put Mr Cliff back in his position.”

Cliff was fired from Idols SA after tweeting about freedom of speech following former estate agent Penny Sparrow’s tweet calling black beachgoers in Durban monkeys.

He wants the court to halt the 2016 Idols SA auditions, scheduled to get underway at the end of the month, until he is reinstated or compensated R25 million for defamation and unlawful dismissal.

Judgment was reserved.

African News Agency

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