SA Rallies Behind Petition for Bongani Bingwa to Apologise for Immigration Views
- Talk radio host Bongani Bingwa is the target of an online petition following a series of "unpatriotic" comments he made
- In a recent show, Bingwa aired that the supposed ban on foreigners from taking up certain job types locally was in the pipeline
- He defended foreign nationals, noting the plight they face in their countries of birth, before slamming President Cyril Ramaphosa
- South Africans accused the personality of waging war against his countrymen and demanded that 702 distance itself from his views
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JOHANNESBURG - South Africans have voiced their displeasure with Radio 702 breakfast show host Bongani Bingwa's stance on xenophobia and immigration by throwing their weight behind an online petition.
According to reports, Bingwa rubbed off on citizens the wrong way after he shared during a live show that President Cyril Ramaphosa was considering a move to ban foreign nationals from taking up certain job types in South Africa.
Source: Getty Images
Since then, the petition has gathered close to 5 000 signatures from "patriotic" South Africans after it was launched on Monday. In the tweet that sparked the outrage, Bingwa lamented the plight of foreigners in their home countries.
He wrote:
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"Foreign nationals are not allowed to vote! Going after this group, especially those who are helpless – all of whom are fleeing from certain incarceration, torment or dying — is leisurely. You earn the favour of despairing voters, and you keep them at bay for a short time."
Not first time for a petition
The petition accuses the radio personality of waging war against his countrymen. Online users demanded that his employers alienate themselves from his standpoint. It also called for an unreserved apology from Bingwa to South Africans, TimesLIVE reported.
Similarly, Mzansi will recall that loyal fans of media personality Katlego Maboe started a petition to have him brought back on TV after he was suspended over allegations of misconduct levelled against him by his then-wife, Monique Muller, according to The Citizen.
Briefly News reported that a video of him admitting to cheating on Muller, giving her a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) as a result, was widely circulated on social media back in October 2020.
Citizens at sixes and sevens
Locals banded on social media and expressed different views over the petition. Some continued arguing that Bingwa was not pro-South African. Others insisted that the petition was unsubstantiated and a waste of time.
@Dumile Gugushe wrote:
"Listen to all points of view. Don’t censor anyone otherwise we miss the opportunity of being open-minded regarding ideas we don’t agree with."
@Bongani Mnisi said:
"South Africans truly hate each other and it’s painful… what happened to simply engage the view in-depth without jumping to conclusions that Bongani Bingwa is xenophobic. Sis man!"
@Trish Donald added:
"Where is the petition to sign against this xenophobic petition? Is it true that there is one cause of unemployment, homelessness, poverty, lack of access to quality healthcare, transport and education in South Africa, and that reason is nothing to do with foreign nationals?"
Bingwa fires shots at Lindiwe Sisulu
Elsewhere, Briefly News previously reported that Bingwa had social media users buzzing after openly criticising former Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
A senior aide of Sisulu, Mphumzi Mdekazi is reported to have earned a whopping R142 920 monthly salary for just 15 days of documented work. Mdekazi also claimed more than R1.76 million on travel and accommodation since May 2019, while part of Sisulu's advisory committee, Business Day reported.
Heading to Twitter, Bingwa shared his thoughts on the matter, writing:
"R142 920 a month and you only work 15 days. But here’s the kicker – you can spend nearly R2m (R1.76m) for travel and accommodation. Your job? Advise Lindiwe Sisulu. That’s how your tax rands were spent on Mphumzi Mdekazi. Value for money?"
Source: Briefly News
