BLF gives Jub Jub five days to apologise over Xhosa comments or face legal action

Black First Land First president Andile Mngxitama has told The Citizen he plansto take Molemo Maarohanye, popularly known as Jub Jub, to task following comments he made about Xhosas.

In a video that has been widely shared on social media and equally criticised, Jub Jub says: “I’ve never seen a nation efebayo nje [that is promiscuous] ngaMaXhosa. I’ve never seen as well a nation that is loving nje ngaMaXhosa. I’ve never seen a nation that forgives nje ngaMaXhosa. I’ve never seen a nation with an attitude nje ngaMaXhosa and I’ve never seen a stubborn nation nje ngaMaXhosa. In a nutshell, the nation is just too much.”

There goes Jub Jub again, I hope Xhosa's don't take you to the mountain with in December 😂🤣 #Uyajola99 pic.twitter.com/c0wu20WGcx

— Russian Panda 🇷🇺 (@Clem_ManUtdFan) May 28, 2019

The musician currently hosts Uyajola 9/9, a South African version of the US show Cheaters that has seen suspecting partners seeking help to catch cheating partners. Although the show has received mixed reactions from South Africans, with some calling for it to be taken off air, while some commend it for exposing infidelity, Jub Jub is now at the receiving end of harsh comments for making such comments about Xhosa people.

Responding to Jub Jub, Mngxitama said he would ask his party’s central committee to demand an apology from the presenter or face the Equality Court.

He told The Citizen: ” [I] Just saw Jub Jub’s vile tribalist attack on the Xhosa ‘nation’. I’m going to ask the central committee of BLF to demand an apology and Jub Jub to be given lessons in black consciousness or we take Moja Love to the equality court. We can’t allow such naked tribalism. We can’t normalise self hate.”

In a statement, the BLF said: “By virtue of his verbal remarks Jub Jub humiliated and injured dignity of Xhosa people. This defies the right freedom of expression amounts to hate speech. Jub Jub’s speech impairs dignity & integrity of a whole group of people by attributing negative traits to it unjustifiably.

“The characterisation of Xhosa speaking people as promiscuous and stubborn cannot be justified as speech in pursuit of freedom of expression. It is discriminatory and falls outside the bounds of protected speech.

“BLF hereby asks that Jub Jub issues a public apology to the Xhosa speaking people, including the whole of South Africa (SA).

“BLF asks that Jub Jub undertakes a basic introductory course to Black Consciousness (BC) so as to avoid such mishaps in the future and to understand why tribalism is a bad thing. BLF is willing to meet with both Moja Love and Jub Jub to clarify our objections if such is required.

“We ask that the apology be given within five working days after receiving this letter, failing which BLF shall lodge a complaint against Jub Jub and Moja Love at the Equality Court in Johannesburg.”

The video was highly criticised on social media by those who called for Jub Jub to be “cancelled”.

Facebook user Buntu Bani said: “Even if we’re are loving and whatever nation but you can’t say siyafeba. Think again bro, this statement needs an apology. We can take it further I’m telling you,” while Ricardo litb said: “Some people do not love Xhosas. I wonder enzani Maxhosa [what they did], uninzi lwabo benza ngathi [most of them act like] they do love us kanti baya pretend, if you can listen ku Jub Jub uyasithuka qha esibambe ngesandla [he is insulting us while holding our hands].

“This guy is from jail and now uthetha ngofeba kwamaXhosa kwi social media platform enkulu kanje [he is talking about the Xhosa people’s promiscuity on a social media platform as big as Facebook]. What about abantwana abazova lento aythethayo [children who will see this] and kids bayamazi [know] he was in prison for a long time. What about amaqhawe amaXhosa [Xhosa heroes], abantu abadala [the elderly]?”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)