Dismissing a female guest’s opinion about the offensive Democratic Alliance (DA) Phoenix posters has cost Gareth Cliff flamed grilled chicken money.
Nandos said on Saturday it was appalled at how a guest on The Burning Platform was treated and decided Cliff’s offish manner was not worth sponsoring anymore.
The discussion involved DA leader John Steenhuisen and One South Africa Movement member Mudzuli Rakhivhane with Cliff as the host.
Earlier this month the DA capitulated to pressure and took down its offensive posters in Phoenix that read: “The ANC calls you racists” and “The DA calls you heroes.”
Cliff dismissed Rakhivhane’s concerns regarding the offensive poster suggesting that most people were interested in racism issues and instead were focused on service delivery.
More than 50 residents of Phoenix, an old apartheid Indian town near Durban, have been arrested for the killing of black people – including a teenage schoolboy – during the July unrest.
At least 36 people, mostly black residents of Inanda, a township across the next hill from Phoenix, were killed by vigilantes claiming to be protecting their property and lives against looters.
To call vigilantes heroes in order to get their votes was seen by many as insensitive and insulting.
“They obviously don’t experience the type of racism I experience on a daily basis,” retorted Rakhivhane.
Cliff remained unapologetic and dismissive, prompting an outcry from the public.
Reacting to the groundswell of criticism, Nando’s said in a statement that it was terminating its sponsorship of The Burning Platform “with immediate effect”.
Namdos said it had sponsored the show broadcast on CliffCentral.com for the last five years.
Attempts to reach CliffCentral.com for comment were unsuccessful because the YouTube channel had been blocked.
