Picture: Facebook/Front National
It seems Tumi Morake’s co-host on Jacaranda FM, musician Martin Bester, is being boycotted by angry white listeners who have accused him of “racism” along with Morake.
Front National, a political party that took a lot of credit for a successful boycott of Spur steak ranches this year, has been targeting Bester since he, along with Morake, discussed a cancelled Steve Hofmeyr gig in New Zealand on air last week as well as broader comments about race and apartheid.
Tumi alleged that white people had been a bully on the playground who had stolen a bicycle from a black child, and instead of being punished for the theft, they now had to share the bike and play together.
“It’s like a child whose bicycle was taken forcefully away from him and then you say to the bully, ‘no, no, no, share the bike together, don’t be like that,'” Morake said.
The bicycle-theft comment elicited huge anger from several white listeners. Trade union Solidarity sent a lawyer’s letter to the radio station demanding the recordings after she allegedly made her “racial remarks”.
Morake has said she’s been receiving “abuse” from angry listeners. She said she would not apologise for being “pro-black” and that it didn’t mean she was “anti-white”.
Solidarity started a #TooFarTumi campaign and handed over a memorandum to Jacaranda FM on Friday. They accused her of abusing her platform for personal reasons.
Although Solidarity called for “remedial action” against Morake, it said it was not calling for a boycott of the station.
However, it now appears the fallout has also affected Morake co-host, who is being targeted by Front National and others.
The party’s Hannes Engelbrecht took to Facebook to declare that the Elephant Bull Sports Bar in Ellisras (Lephalale) in Limpopo had cancelled Bester’s performance there, which was apparently set for Friday, 29 September.
Engelbrecht said people should “be proud” of the message they were sending.
Earlier in the day, the party responded to Zelda La Grange, who called on people to listen to Morake and try to understand her point. Front National spokesperson Daniel Lötter said they were “tired” of listening.
On Monday, one of Jacaranda FM’s advertisers declared they had pulled their business from the station.
Front National is a political party formed in late 2013 that contested the 2014 national elections. It promotes secession and Afrikaner self-determination. It says it strikes no distinction between English-speaking whites and Afrikaners.
Check out one of Bester’s songs below:
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