SABC should act against Dube

2003-02-18 19:59

Cape Town - National Assembly Deputy Speaker Baleka Mbete on Tuesday censured the SABC for failing to take strong action against comedian Desmond Dube for ethnic remarks he made on his show about two weeks ago.

Speaking during a debate on President Thabo Mbeki's state of the nation address, she said the "need for sensitivity in matters of language cannot be overemphasised".

"It is therefore extremely disappointing to come across incidents like what happened in the Desmond Dube show two weeks ago."

The type of joke which "entrenches degradation of particular groups that belongs to the past" should be condemned in the strongest terms, Mbete said.

The question arose whether the SABC, as the public broadcaster, had come out clearly on a policy to handle such behaviour.

"An apology is not enough. It is inadequate."

The SABC should come out clearly and condemn Dube's behaviour.

"We are called upon to make it abundantly clear that people who think it is a joke to make such remarks over SABC TV must not be tolerated as role models to help this nation we are delicately putting together," she said.

Baboons

The incident occurred when Dube compared Shangaans to baboons during his show, unleashing a flood of outrage from XiTsonga speakers, who accused him of creating ethnic hatred.

A voice-over apology was made at the end of a subsequent edition of his show, but Dube reportedly defended his joke during a radio interview the next day.

During her speech in the Assembly, Mbete said South Africans had to liberate themselves collectively from the notion that there were inferior cultures and superior cultures.

This was what led to prejudices, discrimination, backward ethnicity, racism and xenophobia.

"We will remember that we hosted the whole world in a major effort to rid humanity of these persisting ills among us," she said.

Harmony among human beings could be enhanced by each person feeling that their identity had acceptance, respect and space for expression within the reasonable possibilities and boundaries of co-existence with other fellow humans who might come from a different cultural background.

"A mature give and take attitude is necessary from all sides," Mbete said.

Listeners' preferences

In a statement later on Tuesday, Democratic Alliance spokeswoman Dene Smuts said the time had come to introduce a formal mechanism for testing viewers and listeners' programming preferences.

The DA also had concerns about recent broadcast incidents, and had asked the SABC to implement an amendment in the new Broadcasting Act, which introduced a new public consultation requirement.

The amendment stated that the corporation "must provide suitable means for regular inputs of public opinion on its services and ensure that such public opinion is given due consideration".

"I want to know when this will be in place," she said.

Smuts added that politicians should not try to influence broadcast content, except to comment when public debate was invited or prompted by public concern.

- SAPA