Radio 702 host Xolani Gwala has taken his bosses to task over a tweet posted on the station’s social media account‚ comparing two black babies to dogs.
The tweet‚ posted on Sunday‚ read: “Aaaw! Dog VS baby...who’s cuter? Go ahead and evoke those broody feelings...”
It was later changed to: “Aaaw! Babies and dogs participating in the #MTN702WALK will evoke those broody feelings‚” referring to the popular radio station’s big walk‚ which brought thousands onto the streets of Johannesburg on Sunday.
Gwala said the tweet was despicable and demanded a proper explanation and apology from management on Monday morning.
“I have read this tweet over and over again‚ trying to understand what it could have been trying to convey. I just cannot make head or tail ... I think ultimately it is despicable. It is distasteful for a company that is in the communication space‚ that tells people’s stories. Whoever tweeted this obviously just does not understand the sensitivities of people whose stories we are telling on this radio station‚” Gwala said on his morning show on Monday.
The station‚ owned by Primedia‚ on Sunday posted a three-paragraph apology‚ which Gwala said was completely inadequate‚ and had angered him and his black colleagues.
Omar Essack‚ Primedia CEO‚ went on air with Gwala to address the controversial tweet and to apologise unreservedly.
“In this country‚ we have a history where black people have been objectified over centuries and that is wrong. So when we get to putting out a tweet‚ in a way we did yesterday‚ there really is no other way to look at it‚ but say we were wrong‚” Essack said.
He said the question of how the issue will be resolved is complicated since 702 as an organisation is a microcosm of society.
“We’ve been taught differently‚ we come from different homes‚ and we come from different cultures. In my own family I would have grown up with a view from my parents that dogs are dirty‚ for an example. I look at my own children and they have a different view.
“What’s important is respect between each other‚ a sensitivity and a willingness to learn about each other. And in the macrocosm of South Africa we are still not there.”
In an effort to address the issue‚ Primedia will sit down with the person responsible for posting the tweet and determine whether it came from a place of naivety or racism.
Essack further said that the broadcaster is not a place for racists and that the station has no tolerance for racism.
The Twitter community had a hard time accepting the apology‚ with some asking the radio station to delete its account.
Xolani Gwala takes his bosses to task over tweet comparing black kids with dogs
Radio 702 host Xolani Gwala has taken his bosses to task over a tweet posted on the station’s social media account‚ comparing two black babies to dogs.
The tweet‚ posted on Sunday‚ read: “Aaaw! Dog VS baby...who’s cuter? Go ahead and evoke those broody feelings...”
It was later changed to: “Aaaw! Babies and dogs participating in the #MTN702WALK will evoke those broody feelings‚” referring to the popular radio station’s big walk‚ which brought thousands onto the streets of Johannesburg on Sunday.
Gwala said the tweet was despicable and demanded a proper explanation and apology from management on Monday morning.
“I have read this tweet over and over again‚ trying to understand what it could have been trying to convey. I just cannot make head or tail ... I think ultimately it is despicable. It is distasteful for a company that is in the communication space‚ that tells people’s stories. Whoever tweeted this obviously just does not understand the sensitivities of people whose stories we are telling on this radio station‚” Gwala said on his morning show on Monday.
The station‚ owned by Primedia‚ on Sunday posted a three-paragraph apology‚ which Gwala said was completely inadequate‚ and had angered him and his black colleagues.
Omar Essack‚ Primedia CEO‚ went on air with Gwala to address the controversial tweet and to apologise unreservedly.
“In this country‚ we have a history where black people have been objectified over centuries and that is wrong. So when we get to putting out a tweet‚ in a way we did yesterday‚ there really is no other way to look at it‚ but say we were wrong‚” Essack said.
He said the question of how the issue will be resolved is complicated since 702 as an organisation is a microcosm of society.
“We’ve been taught differently‚ we come from different homes‚ and we come from different cultures. In my own family I would have grown up with a view from my parents that dogs are dirty‚ for an example. I look at my own children and they have a different view.
“What’s important is respect between each other‚ a sensitivity and a willingness to learn about each other. And in the macrocosm of South Africa we are still not there.”
In an effort to address the issue‚ Primedia will sit down with the person responsible for posting the tweet and determine whether it came from a place of naivety or racism.
Essack further said that the broadcaster is not a place for racists and that the station has no tolerance for racism.
The Twitter community had a hard time accepting the apology‚ with some asking the radio station to delete its account.
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