Bolhuis mum as show cancelled over alleged racial slurs

Popular private investigator Mike Bolhuis refrained from commenting yesterday after news broke that he had lost his show on kykNET for allegedly using racial slurs.

Bolhuis, a crime-busting television show in its second series on kykNET scheduled to air on Wednesday last week, was cancelled after its star, PI Mike Bolhuis, allegedly used racial slurs to describe a black person.

The PI was reportedly responding to one of his clients on the show, a Potchefstroom-based student, who claimed he was being blackmailed by someone in possession of pictures of a sexual nature that was not of him.

Bolhuis was allegedly recorded in a WhatsApp voice note telling his client in Afrikaans that “Firstly, it’s not a ‘she’; it’s a n*gg*r, it’s a pitch-black houtkop.”

KykNET, the Afrikaans satellite TV station the show plays on, reportedly canned the show when it became aware of the voice note. These latest reports come after a series of similar incidents within the past five years led to accused racists landing in hot water in both the country’s courts and the public domain.

In 2016, Penny Sparrow became notorious after putting up a Facebook post calling black people at the beach “monkeys”.

Although she was the first person to be found guilty of crimen injuria for a racist slur in post-apartheid South Africa and given a hefty fine, she was not the last. After a smash-and-grab incident in 2016 and using the k-word 48 times against police officers who were trying to help her, estate agent Vicki Momberg was found guilty of four counts of crimen injuria and labelled a “convicted racist”.

In another high-profile case, former Bosasa CEO Angelo Agrizzi was ordered to pay R200,000 to the Barney Mokgatle Foundation after a recording of him using the k-word was played at the state capture commission where he was testifying. In the latest case, Adam Catzavelos landed in hot water after posting a selfie video using the k-word to refer to black people while holidaying on a beach in Greece in August last year.

He said “Not one k****r in sight. F**king heaven on earth … You cannot beat this!”

He is now facing prosecution in both countries. While the stakes are high, neither Bolhuis nor his show’s producer Rian van Heerden would respond to the reports.

However, Van Heerden said they would have a meeting today and a statement on their stance would be issued shortly afterwards.

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za

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