Cliff kicked off Idols for Sparrow comment
CONTROVERSIAL DJ and former Idols SA judge Gareth Cliff has become the first victim of M-Net’s new policy of zero tolerance for social media posts that go against the spirit of nation-building.
M-Net has announced the policy will apply to everyone associated with its brands.
Late on Friday night, M-Net confirmed its decision not to include him in the Idols Season 12 judges’ panel, which kicks off with nationwide auditions at the end of the month.
Cliff ’s sacking comes on the heels of his comments regarding a race debate around former estate agent Penny Sparrow. He was responding to discussions on whether to criminalise racist posts on social media. “People don’t understand free speech.”
This triggered a storm of reactions on Twitter, some calling for the talent show to be boycotted.
Head of publicity, Lani Lombard, said M-Net did not believe Cliff was racist but that his comments showed a lack of empathy for the history of the country. “It is important to differentiate between freedom of speech and hate speech. Penny Sparrow’s comments were hateful. Hate speech is not applicable with regard to freedom of speech.”
Lombard said all judges had recently been reminded that M-Net held all brand ambassadors and employees to the highest standards in their efforts to build a modern and inclusive South Africa.
Cliff was not the first Idols judge to make controversial comments on social media.
Last month, choreographer Somizi Mhlongo took to Instagram, revealing his disdain regarding the #ZumaMustFall campaign, lashing out at “racist” white South Africans. In part, Mhlongo posted “racist white South Africans hoping that Zuma’s fall will give them a white president or bring back apartheid are a true denial of the reality”.
Lombard said it was uncalculated remarks such as these that it had to guard against. “Following Unathi’s indiscretions on social media a few months ago (use of vulgar language), we have been in discussions with our judges, presenters and talent to sensitise them to the pitfalls of using social media.
“Unfortunately, we then had to deal with Somizi’s inappropriate comments.”
Lombard would not say if a replacement for Cliff would be found.
She said M-Net was reviewing the judging panel and would make an announcement soon. She added it was also premature to say if Cliff ’s participation in the show in the future would be considered.
“At this stage, our focus is on the new season of Idols SA. No final decisions have been made.”
Cliff said he was seeking legal advice and had since apologised for his remarks.