Willemse walk off not racially motivated – Supersport
RANDBURG – What caused Ashwin Willemse to walk off set?
The management of Supersport and Multichoice, based in Randburg, have found that Ashwin Willemse’s on-air incident this past weekend, 19 May, was not racially motivated.
The former rugby player walked off the set during a post-match analysis programme following a Super Rugby game.
According to SuperSport CEO Gideon Khobane, no racism was picked up from separate and joint discussions with Nick Mallett, Naas Botha, presenter of the show Motshidisi Mohono, the show’s director Anthony Banks and producer Mandla Ntsibande.
Willemse‚ a former Springbok who played 19 Tests, said on live television that he could not work with people who undermined others.
“I’ve been in the game for a long time like most of us here‚” Willemse said on the show.
“As a player‚ I’ve been called a quota for a long time and I’ve worked very hard to earn the respect I have now. I’m not going to sit here and be patronised by these two individuals (Mallett and Botha) who played their rugby during the apartheid era‚ a segregated era.”
SuperSport and MultiChoice have requested that all parties continue with a deeper engagement process to confront the complex issues which our past has thrust upon the workplace.
Was Willemse justified in walking off the set? Tell us your thoughts.
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