'White media misquoted me'

2003-05-18 21:47

Nicolene Louw

Port Elizabeth - Controversial Eastern Cape praise-singer, Jongela Nojozi, launched a scathing attack on the country's "white media" and said he was wrongly quoted when he praised Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, on Friday.

Reports indicated that Nojozi praised Mugabe at the University of Fort Hare's graduation ceremony for his land reform programme and for "chasing white people from the country".

Cassie Aucamp from National Action (NA) indicated over the weekend that he was going to file a complaint of hate-speech against Nojozi.

He said Nojozi could not be excused for his statements just because he was a praise-singer.

Nojozi said in reaction that black reporters never misquoted him and that the fault was with white journalists who did not understand Xhosa and relied on others to translate.

"I refuse to apologise, because I never used the words reported in the newspapers.

"An 'imbongi' has never been criticised in this country before. The white media can go to hell as far as I am concerned," an emotional Nojozi said.

Cecile Greyling, a journalist of the Eastern Cape news agency, ECN, claimed Nojozi personally translated the controversial statements.

He apparently confirmed that he praised Mugabe for "chasing white people from Zimbabwe".

- Die Burger