Comments made by radio DJ and personality Anele Mdoda has landed her in the hot seat in front of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA). The regulator was responding to complaints after Anele made some less-than-flattering remarks about Jenna Talackova, the first transgender Miss Universe Canada contestant.

The Highveld Stereo DJ commented on the news that Talackova, legally a woman after sex-change procedures, competed in the pageant, referring to her as ‘it’ and using statements such as “balls to the wall”. Several listeners found the comments offensive and complained that Mdoda dehumanised Talackova. During the show on 11 April Mdoda and her guest also remarked on a “man” taking part in a beauty pageant and pondered where Talackova would hide her “male” parts.

“What appals me about the radio personalities’ comments was the manner in which they dehumanised a transgender woman,” Leigh Ann van der Merwe, founder of Social Health and Empowerment Coalition for Trans women in Africa (SHE), was quoted by MambaOnline.com. “Before beauty titles, careers, social roles, before anything else, we are human beings.”

Primedia, parent company of Highveld Stereo, conceded at the BCCSA hearing yesterday that Mdoda’s comments were ill-advised, but did not feel that it advocated hatred. The company stated that it discussed the matter with the DJ and apologised at the hearing. But it stopped short from agreeing to an on-air apology, stating that it would wait for a ruling from the BCCSA first.

By James Francis