BCCSA Clears Unathi After "Xhosa" Comments

Unathi won't face any further action

By  | Jun 22, 2020, 01:48 PM  | Unathi Nkayi  | Drama

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Idols judge and musician Unathi Nkayi is a free woman after the BCCSA ruled that her comments on Xhosa culture were not of tribalistic nature.

The drama all began sparked during the SA Idols finale back in November when Unathi got a little bit too excited regarding the heritage of one of the finalists, Luyolo, who is Xhosa.

After being blown away by his performance during the live spectacle, Unathi went on record and said,

“On behalf of the Xhosa people, we are tired of holding up the nation."

These comments rubbed social media users up the wrong way and a number of South Africans made it known that Unathi had crossed a line. Although the TV and radio star apologised, she was still met with an enquiry from the BCCSA and was under investigation until the 29th of January when they reached a verdict.

The ex-Metro FM presenter must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when she read their statement, which cleared her of all wrongdoing:

“We submit that comments by Ms. Nkayi do not in any way contravene clause 10.3 as they do not meet any of the elements set out in the clause, namely:  Advocacy;  For hatred;  Based on race or ethnicity; and  Incitement to cause harm,” the adjudication read before revealing that the broadcasting authority does not condone tribalism.

“Having said that, we would like to emphasize that we do not condone any form of tribalism as we believe in an inclusive society, which is depicted in our programming. As soon as Ms. Nkyai’s comments were brought to our attention, she was immediately reprimanded for her personal views she made during the program. Ms. Nkayi subsequently apologised on-air and social media;”

Do you believe that they came to the right decision in the end?

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