Popular DJ Gareth Cliff has been reported to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) for a sexist remark he allegedly made on air, a report has said.
According to The Mercury, the complaints against Cliff was laid by eThekwini DA councillor Tex Collins, who said he was appalled at remarks made by the 5FM DJ during an interview with 27-year-old Aids activist Angela Larkan.
Collins said Cliff commended Larkan for starting her humanitarian work at the age of 22, saying “girls of 22 usually do nothing but lie on their backs with their legs open”.
In his complaint to the BCCSA, Collins wrote: “I ... request that action be taken against him for his off-colour remarks .”
“He sends out the message that every young girl is nothing but a prostitute and a whore,” Collins reportedly said.
The BCCSA said the complaint would be investigated.
The Mercury reports that Cliff’s manager, Rina Broomberg, said on Sunday he would never have said “something like that”. Neither she nor Cliff was aware of the complaint. “No, no, I would have noticed and yelled at him,” she said.
Broomberg said Cliff had remarked that most 22-year-olds were usually “looking to have fun”.
However, Larkan reportedly said on Sunday that Cliff had made the comment at the start of the interview, saying that it did “throw me a bit”.
However, she had ignored the comment and continued the chat. - IOL