Xolani not ‘unreasonable’ to ask Oliphant to speak English, says 702

Talk Radio 702 has responded to the controversy surrounding its decision to refuse to allow the spokesperson of the department of social development Lumka Oliphant to speak isiZulu during an interview on Monday morning.

The Gauteng-based radio station said Oliphant should have notified the station of her intention to conduct the interview with breakfast show host Xolani Gwala in isiZulu prior to going on air.

702 also said Oliphant had previously been given an opportunity to speak on the station in isiXhosa on Eusebius McKaiser’s mid-morning show and the discussion was translated.

Station manager Thabisile Mbete said the radio station felt it was not unreasonable for Gwala to expect Oliphant to respond in English.

“We felt that, in this instance, Oliphant had been given ample opportunity to request an interview in another language, as she had been in discussion with the producers of the show since Sunday,” Mbete said.

During the interview, when Oliphant was asked about how the social development ministry intended to pay grants to beneficiaries next month, she insisted on speaking isiZulu, although in the past she had spoken English on the English-medium station.

Gwala insisted she stop “disrespecting” his show and speak in English, but the spokesperson refused, and he cut her call.

Since then there has been a wave of criticism directed at the station’s decision to cut the interview, as well as support from some listeners who felt 702 had to cater to a wide audience.

“702 has noted criticism of this decision, based on the fact that isiZulu is one of the 11 official languages, and spokesperson Oliphant was within her rights to speak whichever of these languages she chose to. 702 remains committed to the promotion of a diversity of languages and this is a topic that is often discussed on the 702 platform.

“In addition, when a caller or guest is better able to express themselves in a language that is not English, arrangements are made for them to speak in their home tongue, and for their comments to be translated into English, as this is the medium of the station, as per the broadcast licence issued and regulated by Icasa,” the station said.

702 also said prior to the interview with the breakfast show that Oliphant had conducted another interview in English on the SABC’s Morning Live, where she hadn’t spoken any isiZulu.

“…We feel that her decision to speak in isiZulu was nothing more than an attempt to obfuscate the actual issue under discussion. In addition to not shedding any light on whether the Sassa payments will be made in April, she has also undermined the very important issue of linguistic diversity in South Africa.”

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