eNCA under fire for not asking FF Plus’ Pieter Groenewald to wear his mask
News channel eNCA has come under fire from social media users for interviewing Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) leader Pieter Groenewald without him wearing his face mask in public.
The outrage from some Twitter users has even sparked questions around white privilege and unconscious bias by the broadcaster.
This followed an interview by eNCA reporter Lindsay Dentlinger with Groenewald outside the steps of Parliament after Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered his budget speech.
During the interview, the FF Plus leader was not wearing a face mask and he was physically distancing from Dentlinger who had her mask on.
When Dentlinger interviewed United Democratic Movement MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, tweeps realised that she asked him to keep his mask on, which led to some accusing eNCA and its reporter of racism and unconscious bias.
Watch the video below:
Longer chip.#BudgetSpeech2021 pic.twitter.com/LNhWvTOe5Z
— thabang350 (@Thabang_350) February 24, 2021
Some tweeps saw nothing wrong with Dentlinger asking Kwankwa to his mask, but other tweeps took advantage of the incident to bash the channel for unfair treatment and even posted Dentlinger’s pictures on Twitter, branding her a racist.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa called on eNCA to apologise for the incident, saying the broadcaster can’t have separate policies in enforcing Covid-19 regulations.
Media personality Robert Marawa said he simply “switched to Cartoon Network” after he was disturbed by what happened.
I switched to Cartoon Network after this nonsense General…!! Watching it LIVE was disturbing!!
— robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) February 24, 2021
Veteran TV host Felicia Mabuza-Suttle was also taken aback by the incident, saying she too was upset.
This subject about wearing masks hits home for me. Like many, I’ve lost siblings, relatives and friends. #WearADamnMask😷 Let’s save lives.
— Felicia Mabuza-Suttle (@Feliciamabuza) February 25, 2021
Here’s what other tweeps had to say on the issue:
This is Lindsay Dentlinger, a racist reporter for #eNCA who due to her unconscious bias racially abused UDM’s deputy president Honorable Nqabayomzi Kwankwa on national television. She has for long been able to hide her racism behind working along side Black employees pic.twitter.com/Tx9HS5R8js
— #FreePalestine 🇿🇦 🇵🇸 (@ntobengnkadimen) February 25, 2021
Its a different story to remove a mask and not having it. Peter didnt have a mask, on the 3rd frame the guys was asked to cover his nose. Akuna racism niks lana. Black people like becoming victims kungenasidingo. pic.twitter.com/Ox9EVwhD3w
— #PutSouthAfricansFirst (@okaMashaba) February 25, 2021
-The Citizen
In other news – Drama as Lasizwe gets mocked by his ex-boyfriend – Video
Lasizwe’s relationship might actually be the shortest relationship amongst Mzansi celebrities as it was revealed on Monday that all his crying over his new Bae might have been for nothing.
We first saw the YouTuber crying over the weekend when he had to say goodbye to his new boyfriend, then we saw him going through the most when he bumped into his new Babe at Great Dane which is a popular watering hole in Joburg…the same Bae whom he said goodbye to at the airport because “he was flying to Cape Town”. Learn More
