Listeners object to ‘homophobic’ radio skit

● A controversial comedy skit on Jeremy Mansfield’s morning show on Hot 91.9FM has led to a series of complaints, with gay rights groups claiming that the station is advocating the use of the homophobic slur “moffie”.

Meanwhile, the station has defended using the word, saying it was just a joke and arguing that because gay people have used it, it has not breached any ethical practices.

Last Wednesday the station played a prerecorded skit satirising virtual assistants, using the word “moffie” to describe a man who wanted to watch the sitcom Friends.

When the man asks the South African version of the Amazon virtual assistant Alexa, dubbed Sarel in the skit, to play the first season of Friends on his television, Sarel replies: “No, no, boet, you’re not a moffie! You will watch the Springbok replays.”

Shortly after hearing the skit, Johannesburg business consultant Wayne Segers contacted the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) to file a grievance.

“This is hurtful and degrading language. It’s completely unacceptable for them to use it so flippantly,” Segers told the Sunday Times.

“The fact that this was prerecorded shows this wasn’t just an accidental slip of the tongue — there was premeditation,” he said.

Following his complaint, the BCCSA sent Segers the response from Hot 91.9FM station manager Tony Murrell, who wrote: “The term was used in a segment which is clearly identifiable as a joke, and was not used in a derogatory way, or one which advocates hatred, but rather in a light-hearted way.

“The intention was clearly not to offend listeners or to perpetrate hostility/negative stigma against homosexuals. Reasonable listeners will understand the joke in this context.”

This week station MD Lloyd Madurai said it had not breached the BCCSA code. He said that in 2006 a book called Moffie was published, so “I don’t see the problem”.

Luiz de Barros, activist and editor of gay lifestyle website MambaOnline, said the word was used widely across SA as a homophobic slur.

“The word is used to belittle gay and queer people. It’s used to abuse people, and it’s completely offensive to try and normalise it in a comedy skit,” he said.