Would you not visit your father if he was in prison? DJ Cleo asks critics

DJ Cleo defended himself against critics in an interview with Masechaba and DJ Mo Flava on Metro FM on Monday.

The DJ and his longtime friend convicted rapist Sipho “Brickz” Ndlovu found themselves in the firing line on Twitter after pictures of the two hanging out in prison during the weekend circulated on social media. DJ Cleo shared the pictures on Twitter and wrote: “We all run our own races, he fell along the way… but the race is not over”.

The DJ said he had partnered with correctional services and other stakeholders to contribute to the positive rehabilitation of inmates.

“If that’s deemed as condoning and supporting criminals then so be it. I refuse to entertain any negative spin to my good deeds,” said DJ Cleo.

The DJ took to the radio station to reiterate that his visit did not mean he supported rape. He said he could not attend his friend’s court appearances because he did not want to be seen as one who was supporting a rapist, further asking his critics if they would not visit their loved one in prison.

He said: “Just to put it on record that I don’t support rape. I’m highly against it, I’m a father to two beautiful daughters, and hence … Brickz was on trial for four years and I never attended court for a whole four years because the minute I attend everyone is going to assume he’s here to support Brickz and I also can’t say no, I’m here to support the victim.

“That photo is of me speaking to a brother who’s paying the price, he’s doing the time. The visit doesn’t condone the crime, the question is would you not visit your own father if he was in prison? Would you not visit your own sister, brother, mother, friend?”

However, South Africans on social media said DJ Cleo and those defending him had missed the point. The visit was not the problem, but his caption that they said reduced the rape of a 16-year-old to a “fall”.

ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula: “Nothing wrong to visit a friend in jail, the words we choose ‘like a fallen hero’ when a person is found guilty of rape are proving to be insensitive to women out there who get raped every day.”

Also read: Pictures of DJ Cleo hanging out with Brickz in prison spark outrage

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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