Durban - Black First Land First has labelled TV presenter Jub Jub as a poster boy for anti blackness and has threatened to take him to the equality court if he does not issue a public apology to Xhosa speaking people by Friday.
Jub Jub, whose real name is Molemo Maarohanye, presents the popular Uyajola 9/9 television show on DSTV’s Moja Love channel. He is in hot water with the BLF for his comments about Xhosa people.
In a promotional Instagram video for his show, which exposes promiscuity, Jub Jub said: “You’ve never witnessed what you’re about to witness tonight, it is crazy, it is ridiculous. I have never seen a nation as promiscuous as the Xhosas.”
He goes on to say he had also never seen a nation as loving, forgiving, full of attitude and stubborn as the Xhosa people.
The video received backlash on social media and has also irked the ire of BLF leader Andile Mngxitama, who said that Jub Jub had humiliated and injured the dignity of Xhosa speaking people as a whole.
In his letter to Moja Love Station Manager Jacqui Setai, Mngxitama writes: “This defies the right to freedom of expression and amounts to hate speech. Correctly interpreted, Jub Jub's speech impairs the dignity and integrity of a whole group of people by attributing negative traits to it unjustifiably.”
Mngxitama said that the characterisation of Xhosa speaking people as promiscuous and stubborn could not be justified as speech in pursuit of freedom of expression, because it was discriminatory and falls outside the bounds of protected speech.
“BLF hereby asks that Jub Jub issues a public apology to the Xhosa speaking people, including the whole of South Africa. Secondly BLF asks that Jub Jub undertakes a basic introductory course to Black Consciousness (BC) so as to avoid such mishaps in the future and to understand why tribalism is a bad thing.
“BLF is willing to meet with both Moja Love and Jub Jub to clarify our objections if such is required. We ask that the apology be given within five working days after receiving this letter, failing which BLF shall lodge a complaint against Jub Jub and Moja Love at the Equality Court in Johannesburg,” Mngxitama said.
Speaking to IOL, Mngxitama said Jub Jub’s comments were proof that black dignity had been cheapened and commercialised.
“Jub Jub moved from the premise of anti-blackness for commercial purposes, this country is so anti-black that issues that should be treated sensitively are being used to amuse and to make money out of. Jub Jub doesn’t respect black people at all and therefore doesn’t respect himself. We believe that he is becoming the poster boy for anti-blackness whereby he takes anti-blackness, makes it a laughing matter for self promotion and commercial purposes,” said Mngxitama.
He added that the real danger was that this was normalising anti-blackness and that this was the underlying agenda.
Moja Love is yet to respond to questions sent to them on BLF’s call for a public apology and threats to take the channel and Jub Jub to the equality court.