Gareth Cliff Calls Eastern Cape “Dumbest Province” While Reacting to Nokuzola Kolwapi Incident

• On Thursday, 2 April 2026, Gareth Cliff weighed in on a video of Bitou Municipality Deputy Mayor, Nokuzola Kolwapi
• The former Idols SA judge shared a comment about the intelligence levels of people from the Eastern Cape
• Critics accused him of generalising and being misinformed, with some pointing out the incident actually took place in the Western Cape, not the Eastern Cape

Renowned broadcaster Gareth Cliff has taken a swipe at the intelligence of the people of the Eastern Cape.

The former Idols SA judge often ruffles feathers with his unfiltered takes on various topics.

The Gareth Cliff Show co-host got under the skin of several Eastern Cape residents after he poked fun at their intelligence.

On Thursday, 2 April 2026, Cliff took a swipe at Eastern Cape natives while reacting to a post shared on X (Twitter) by SABC journalist Sphiwe Hobasi, who shared that Deputy Mayor of Bitou Municipality, Nokuzola Kolwapi, was in legal trouble.

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See Sphiwe Hobasi’s post below:

As South Africans reacted to the development, Gareth Cliff joined the conversation with a remark that left people from the Eastern Cape fuming.

Gareth Cliff calls Eastern Cape Mzansi's "dumbest province”

Taking to his official X account, Cliff crowned the Eastern Cape as the least intelligent province in South Africa. He asked for someone to back his statement with stats. The post was captioned:

“The Eastern Cape is easily our dumbest province. Anyone have IQ stats for it?”

See the post below:

SA reacts to Gareth Cliff's Eastern Cape comments

The post gained traction and sparked a myriad of reactions. While some joined in the fun and suggested a name change for the Eastern Cape, others criticised Cliff for judging a whole province based on Nokuzola Kolwapi’s actions. Some highlighted that Kolwapi is a mayor in the Western Cape.

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Here are some of the comments:

@rizaanjappie said:

“With proper management and investment, the Eastern Cape will be better than the Western Cape. Good people there, just not many opportunities. Much better space and beaches in the EC for sure.”

@DoshkaEC fumed:

“You’re misinformed. Check your facts before making baseless claims. This did not happen in the Eastern Cape; it happened in the Western Cape. Also, your assumptions are ignorant. Intelligence has nothing to do with race, and even recent political leadership, including Trump and his administration, has shown that clearly.”

@mfenguG2 fumed:

“You are an idiot, Gareth. So that lady now represents everyone in the Eastern Cape? Yes, she is stupid, but that's her alone. Stop generalising.”

@strokemypuskas suggested:

“Maybe you should move to the Eastern Cape, as you’d fit right in from an IQ level. The Bitou Municipality is in the Western Cape.”

@Skhumbuzo141783 asked:

“Where does the Eastern Cape fit in?”

@useiko_sani said:

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“Can’t even say I’m disappointed in you, Gareth. You just keep proving people who dislike you right.”

Gareth Cliff weighs in on KwaZulu-Natal’s 2025 matric pass rate

This isn't the first time Gareth Cliff has ruffled feathers with his comments.

Previously, Briefly News reported that Gareth Cliff reacted to KwaZulu-Natal Province having the country's highest matric pass rate.

His co-host, Leigh-Ann Mol, offered a light-hearted perspective on why KZN had achieved the country's highest matric pass rate.

Source: Briefly News