Idols SA drops Gareth Cliff
The controversial radio personality, Gareth Cliff, will not be part of Season 12 of Idols SA.
M-Net confirmed on Saturday morning that the long-time Idols SA judge will not be part of the show's judging panel with auditions for the new season set to commence at the end on January 2016.
"M-Net thanks Cliff for the critical role he has played in seeking out and developing new talent over the years and for contributing to the success of the show to date," M-Net said in a statement.
M-Net announced that Gareth Cliff won't be part of the judging panel for #IdolsSA season 12 https://t.co/FWBKyetaNq pic.twitter.com/dBKTMXOoLa
— Idols South Africa (@IdolsSA) January 8, 2016
Cliff was criticised for weighing in on the racism debate following the racial remarks made by estate agent Penny Sparrow in social media.
Cliff tweeted "People really don't understand free speech at all" when asked his opinion on racial comments on social media.
He later apologised for the tweet.
— Gareth Cliff (@GarethCliff) January 5, 2016
"I certainly appreciate the need to obtain greater clarity on what the limits of free speech and the parameters of hate speech really are. I'm also grateful that people like Pinky Khoabane, Sizwe Dhlomo, Professor Jonathan Jansen, Advocate Dali Mpofu and DJ Fresh sought to constructively engage me on the matter. We all know that there are blurred lines in the sensitive context of race relations in South Africa." he wrote in a blog.
Cliff's agent, Rina Broomberg, has confirmed to JacarandaFM News that he is seeking legal 'opinion'.
(File photo: Gallo Images)