White people don’t like kaffirs singing about “kaffirs”
Kwaito hit to cost 5FM R10 000 fine
Monica Laganparsad Published:Apr 19, 2009
Out of tune: When DJ Fresh played the song on 5FM it caused a storm, but not on black radio stations
Kwaito star: Arthur Mafokate’s 1995 anthem sold 150 000 copies despite being banned by some stations
‘The only people who actually complained about it, funnily enough, were white people, which suggests to me it was more white guilt than anything else’
Arthur Mafokate and DJ Fresh offer to pay up for ‘Kaffir’ song.
One of South Africa’s major kwaito hits, Kaffir, released 14 years ago and recently replayed on 5FM, has cost the station a R10000 fine, imposed by the broadcast watchdog.
But the DJ at the centre of the fuss has blamed the outcry on “white guilt”.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) ruled this week that Arthur Mafokate’s controversial 1995 protest song has “no place” in a country where “political correctness and sensitivity need to be practised”.
The song, considered a classic, starts with the words: Kom hier, kaffer, kom hier! Hoekom het jy nie my kar skoongemaak nie. .. Bliksem! The reaction follows: Baas, don’t call me a kaffir…
The song goes on to say: I don’t come from the devil, don’t call me a kaffir, you won’t like it if I call you baboon.
Although it was an instant hit in post-apartheid South Africa — it sold more than 150000 copies and became a club sensation — it was banned by several radio stations.
Last November 5FM’s DJ Fresh outraged several listeners when he played the song on his drive time show’s daily segment known as Cheese of the Day. The week’s theme was kwaito.
The SABC, owners of 5FM, said in its appeal that there had been no malicious intent in playing the song. The hit, it claimed, is said to “have set a precedent for the post-apartheid generations’ struggle combining dance music with the new phenomenon of freedom of expression”.
The BCCSA ruled last year that the song amounted to “grossly offensive language” broadcast at a time when children were likely to be part of the audience.
One of the BCCSA tribunal members, Tembeka Mdlulwa, believed the song could offer an educational opportunity for parents. She was, however, outvoted and the appeal was dismissed on Thursday.
Yesterday Mafokate, known as the former king of kwaito, said the song was still relevant.
“I don’t think it was a fair judgment. I wouldn’t encourage radio stations not to play the song and if push comes to shove I will pay the R10000 on their (5FM’s) behalf.”
The singer said the song had been used to re-launch 5FM when its name was changed.
DJ Fresh said he stood by his decision and would meet Mafokate’s payment “halfway”.
“‘The only people who actually complained about it, funnily enough, were white people, which suggests to me that it was more white guilt than anything else.”
He said the song had been on the SABC’s playlist for 14 years, but had previously been played mainly on black stations. When he aired it, he said, many people had heard it for the first time and this may have caused the shock.
The BCCSA dismissed the appeal, saying negative stereotypes could lead to further divisions in society and evoke “deep-lying emotions reminiscent of apartheid”.
Chairman of the appeal tribunal Professor Kobus van Rooyen, said: “The word represents one of the elements of apartheid which degraded a whole nation of black people. The broadcast of the song flies in the face of the constitutional founding values of dignity and equality,” he said.
Complainant Russel Raubach said in a written statement to the BCCSA that the song was “inappropriate” and if a white DJ had played the song there would have been an outcry.
“It takes away the progress we have made in South Africa towards trying to eradicate racism and racist terminology, ” he wrote.
A second complainant, listed as C Coetzee, said “this type of rubbish” was demeaning to white South Africans. — laganparsadm@sundaytimes.co.za
# To read the full BCCSA ruling go to:www.thetimes.co.za
White guilt my fucking ass!! It’s about giving the coons some of their own medicine, that’s all.
White people should treat being called a ‘Boer’ the same way coons treat being called a ‘kaffir’, even though we are PROUD to be called a Boer, no fucking coon has the right to call me one. How about that for giving them some of their own medicine.
Julle kan maar bitch en moan…julle rassistiese witgatte se dae is lankal getel in Suid Afrika. Die dae toe julle ons vroue verkrag en ons ou mans verneder en vermoor het en dan net n boete (R5) betaal het is verby.
Die dae toe julle grond verniet gekry het is verby.
Die dae toe julle verniet higher education gekry het is verby.
Die dae toe julle bantoe education afgeforseeer het is verby.
Die dae toe julle base was…is verby.
Plase afgevat het, gronde gesteel het, mense massa moord gepleeg het, dopstelsels ingestel het, vrylik gerape het, mense abuse het, ryk geword het, dis als verby !!!
Fokkof uit die land uit en los ons uit. Die taal wat jy praat (Afrikaans) is nie eens jou taal nie - jou gemors. Dis ons taal…die eks slawe, swartes, kaffirs, kleurlinge s’n. Julle praat nou “ons” taal…skrik wakker jou witluis!
Hoe voel dit nou wat die skoen aan die ander voet sit ???
KAK NEH ?
Slaan bietjie na wat die woord kaffer beteken…dit verwys na n ongelowige persoon volgens die moslem geloof. Dis is ek en jy almal kaffers - jou fokken idiot. Jy is n witgat kaffer en ek n swart kaffer….ONS IS ALTWEE KAFFERS
Hoe dom is DJY
Ivan, julle se julle glo in God ook, Hy het ons almal geskep, nie net wittes of ander kleuriges nie. In sy oe is ons almal dieselde behalwe die wat sy skepping sleg se. So jul swartes moet aanvaar dat ons wittes deel is van die land en ons wittes aanvaar dat swartes deel is van die land. Afrikaans kom van die europese mense af wat wit is, kry jou feite reg tjom.
ons is almal geregtig om hier te bly.
How about… we’ll leave when you get your people to return to Africa, eh?
In SA it’s become way too easy to play the little ‘race card’. I for one can’t believe the stupidity of people! Yes, your forebears were suppressed. Yes, your forebears were suppressed by whites… OPERATIVE WORD: forebears!!!!
No one is oppressing YOU… get over yourselves and catch a frigging clue. The past is the past but people are so completely obsessed with bringing it into the future with them and breaking any chance this country has of flourishing.
You want all whites out of Africa… then get YOUR government to stop making it so hard! How about we try to stop LYING to every other country, perhaps then they wouldn’t think twice about accepting us when we DO try to leave just because we’re from Africa!
Julle verwag dat ons wittes almal maar net moet stil bly terwyl julle ons sleg se en gedra soos ‘n klomp breinlose bobbejane, wel, jammer ou, nie eers ‘n hond le stil as jy hom skop nie!!! Maar sodra ons probeer opstaan teen julle wat nie twee keer sal dink om ons te vermoor of verkrag nie dan is ons rasiste genoem.
Nice.
Janis, jy moet jou feite ook regkry tjom. God het, toe hy die mens na Sy beeld en gelykenis gemaak het, ‘n blanke mens gemaak. Kyk bietjie wat die betekenis van die woord ‘Adam’ in die oorspronklike Hebreeus is: “om kleur ( rooi )in die gesig te toon” m.a.w. om te bloos. Om te bloos is die uitwendige teken dat iemand ‘n gewete het, of kan skaam kry. Waar het jy al ooit ‘n kaffer gesien wat kan bloos? Dus: geen gewete of skaamte: presies wat jy elke dag in Afrika kry! Waar hulle vandaan gekom het is ‘n ope vraag… ( alhoewel ek soms baie wonder as ek na Animal Planet op Dstv kyk… ) maar defnitief nie volgens my God se beeld en gelykenis nie!!
Ek is seker n bietjie naief; ek glo dat alle rasse saam kan leef sonder om mekaar se koppe af te byt. Ek het baie goeie wit, bruin, swart pelle. Ek self is swart (eks nie wit nie), maar wanneer ek op die een of ander onoselle idoot afkom (wat nogal in die minderheidsgroep val) wat my mense (nie-wittes) uitjou en hulle energie spandeer om alles wat nie wit is, uit te kruit, vryf dit my heltemal verkeerd op.
Hier is plek in die son vir alle rasse. Minus die attitudes.
van n kaffir
Ivan, na hierdie ‘post’ van jou kan jy maar eers jou naam nog ‘n bietjie hou…..