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YFM DJ calls soapie star 'ugly' on air

Cape Town – Generations actress Maggie Benedict, who plays filmmaker Akhona in the soapie, was allegedly called "ugly" live on air by YFM breakfast host Mo Flava, infringing on her right to dignity, reported Sundayworld.co.za.

The newspaper published an article on Sunday which stated that listener Andrew Maringa laid a complaint with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) when he heard the radio DJ say Benedict was ugly numerous times.

"I was listening to the radio in the morning and they were busy going on about how ugly Maggie Benedict, who plays Akhona Miya on Generations, is. This has been going on for some time now (it happened three times already in the time I was listening)," he said.

Resemblance to Estelle

YFM programming manager Tumelo Diaho-Mohaneng refuted the claims made by the listener.

She responded: "For the record, our breakfast team did not refer to Maggie Benedict (Akhona) as an ugly-looking person. They merely implied that she has a resemblance to UK pop star Estelle.

"We uphold the dignity of all people at all times. We have well trained and responsible broadcasters who are well versed in the Broadcasting Code."

The complaint was brought to the attention of the BCCSA on April 11 but was thrown out. The regulatory body said the case had more chances of succeeding if the charge was laid by the victim.

"The complaint in our view concerns the dignity of a person and we would like to advise that BCCSA Tribunals found in previous cases that complaints involving the privacy and dignity of people other than the complainant (Akhona) are difficult to judge since we do not know what the person's reaction might have been," BCCSA Registar Shouneez Martin said.
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