‘Tumi takes a leaf from Verwoerd’
Radio station faces complaints
Jacaranda FM radio personality Tumi Morake took a page from the book of the infamous apartheid-era villain Hendrik Verwoerd’s grandson when she used the analogy of comparing apartheid to bullying‚ the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) heard yesterday.
This was according to the radio station’s legal representative Professor Justine Limpitlaw‚ who presented the company’s case to the commission.
“It is specifically written about in a book called On our Moral Responsibility for Past Violations by Wilhelm Verwoerd‚ who is a grandson of the apartheid Verwoerd‚” said Limpitlaw.
“He is quoting an analogy used by a victim during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about how it feels to have been a victim of gross human rights abuse‚ and yet there is no retribution there.”
During her radio show last month‚ Morake said apartheid was like bullies on a playground who stole another child’s bicycle but‚ instead of being punished for their stealing‚ the thief and the bicycle owner now had to share the bike and play together.
Her comments left many of the radio station’s listeners up in arms. Six of them laid complaints with the BCCSA‚ while some advertisers threatened to withdraw from the station.
Limpitlaw said it seemed as though the complainants were simply not prepared to engage in open conversations about race and apartheid.
“I think what we are dealing with in this is the discomfort that a number of white people feel about the discussion about the effects of apartheid. Many‚ many white complainants used their complaints to make comments like‚ ‘Tumi‚ you were 12 when apartheid ended… Get over it.’ People have said‚ ‘It’s 23 years on now‚ why are we still talking about it?’
“There is a victimhood mentality that is happening and many were unhappy about her reference directly to the oppression of black people.”
The station said it saw nothing wrong with what Morake had said‚ adding that her comments in no way promoted or glamourised violence or unlawful conduct in any way.
It said it was uncommon for such debates to happen on the station‚ which was a music station and not a talk station‚ but it could not guarantee that such discussions would not arise in future. The commission will deliver its verdict in the next few weeks.