South Africans want to roast Malema live on TV

SOUTH Africans want Julius Malema to take the hot seat at this year’s Comedy Central roast.

The leader of the new political party Economic Freedom Fighters was the most popular choice among South Africans polled recently.

Last year singer Steve Hofmeyr was selected.

Though Comedy Central has been tight- lipped about who will be South Africa’s next roastee, a few names have been bandied about.

Malema joins radio personality Gareth Cliff, former Pro- tea Herschelle Gibbs, TV personality Nonhle Thema, former news reader Riaan Cruywagen, musician Danny K, President Jacob Zuma, athlete Oscar Pistorius, politician Helen Zille and radio personality Kuli Roberts on the most wanted list.

Should Malema be chosen, he will be the subject of a noholds-barred ribbing.

Filmed in front of an audience, each roast features a roastmaster who introduces guests (roasters) who dish out good-natured insults and hilarious tributes to the roastee.

The roastee joins in, meets old friends, gets a chance to refute his critics, and rounds up with a closing statement.

Comedy Central will reveal the chosen one in two weeks, having made their choice.

This year’s roast will be held on September 24, at 9pm on DStv’s channel 122.

Last year’s debut roast saw Hofmeyr being roasted, but while he was in the hot seat, it was socialite Roberts who made the headlines.

Roberts, the former newspaper columnist notorious for insulting coloured people, was blasted throughout the show.

After the roast, Roberts said she had felt “abused” and that host Trevor Noah had ambushed her.

“McSlutty, I’m glad you’re sober enough to join us,” he told her, before having a go at a controversial column on coloured women – for which she was fired from the Sunday World two years ago. After that, she was repeatedly lampooned as a nymphomaniac, cocaine junkie and alcoholic. Roberts said she had felt so abused that she decided to give a portion of the money she made to a charity for abused women.

Show organisers say participants are given a list of forbidden subjects, and that their scripts are screened before the recording.