Journalists labelled 'coconuts'

2008-02-25 14:54

Cape Town - Primedia Broadcasting group head of news and talk programming Yusuf Abramjee and Radio 702/567 talk show host Kieno Kammies on Monday laid a formal complaint of discrimination with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

The complaint relates to last week's controversial Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) meeting addressed by ANC President Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg.

In a letter to SAHRC chairman Jody Kollapan, Abramjee and Kammies said they attended the FBJ meeting on Friday, and raised their objections to the fact that the meeting excluded white journalists.

This was discriminatory and went against the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

"After we walked out in solidarity with our white colleagues who were ordered out and those who were excluded, we were referred to as 'coconuts' - 'black on the outside and white on the inside'."

A report by Chris Bathembu in the Citizen newspaper on Monday confirmed this. He was in the meeting.

This was also reported in the Rapport newspaper on Sunday.

"We are told that Jon Qwelane was one of the people who used this term," they wrote. We are of the view that the term 'coconut' is not only insulting, but discriminatory.

"It was clearly used in a racial context and this is totally unacceptable and is meant to demean. We hereby lodge a formal complaint with the SAHRC and we will appreciate it if the commission can investigate this matter and make a finding as part of it's investigation into the FBJ meeting and the complaint lodged by our colleague Katy Katopodis," the two said.

On Friday, Radio 702's Katopodis laid a formal complaint with the SAHRC of racial prejudice.

- SAPA