Radio DJ cleared of hate speech

In a recent ruling, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission found that SABC radio station Ikwekwezi FM had done no wrong when the presenter of its motivational show, Ragela Phambili, Imam Masango, uttered the words umfazinyana wekhuma (a young white lady) during a history talk.

Happy Shabangu, 26, of Pretoria, complained that the "demeaning" term amounted to hate speech.

Shabangu also complained that Masango took the view that blacks had suffered under white rulers and could not vote for any government other than a black one.

"We cannot live with people that do all they can to divide this nation and tell them that white people are bad and are not like any other people," Shabangu said.

The SABC argued that the reference to a young white woman was "made in the context of the Ndebele language and umfazinyana means a younger woman".

It denied that Masango had urged listeners not to vote for a "white party".

In ruling in favour of the SABC, the commission's deputy chairman, Brian Makeketa, sitting with four assessors, said Masango's comments "did not amount to incitement to cause harm".

Source: The Times, via I-Net Bridge