Last month was not the first time that radio personality and comedian Tumi Morake made offensive comments towards white people‚ a Jacaranda FM listener submitted to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA).
In the written complaint‚ the listener said that in August‚ Tumi and her co-host Martin Bester held a discussion on funerals during their breakfast show.
He claimed that Tumi said, “white people do not cry out of their hearts at funerals” and explained that this was because they “do not fall on the ground‚ moan‚ cry and show remorse at funerals like African persons do”.
The listener said he felt Tumi crossed the line with this statement.
He was further disturbed when Tumi used a bicycle-and-bully analogy last month to explain apartheid.
During the radio show‚ Tumi said it was like bullies on a playground who stole another child’s bicycle, but instead of being punished for their theft‚ the thief and the bicycle owner now had to share the bike and play together.
According to TshisaLIVE, the complainant‚ who was one of six who laid complaints with the BCCSA‚ said he was offended by what he believed was Tumi’s comparison to selfish bullies.
“Again‚ I thought to myself is this possible that Tumi Morake again points to white people as if they have no values‚ worth or humanity?” the complainant wrote.
Another wrote that “Morake’s opinion was that white people should still be punished for what their forefathers did at the time”.
“I find this offensive as nobody has ever given us a deadline as to when the opposite discrimination and punishment will come to an end so we can get this country to stand up and go forward in unity‚” wrote the complainant.
Another complainant was a 19-year-old youth who highlighted that she had nothing to do with apartheid.
“She antagonised white people. She is of a different race and she believes her race is superior‚ being ‘pro-black’ and all that‚” the complainant alleged.
The BCCSA on Wednesday heard submissions from a legal representative for the complainants and another for Jacaranda FM.