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Cape Town - Gareth Cliff and Unathi Msengana will not be interviewing Idols winner Khaya Mthethwa on their SABC radio shows.
On Thursday Sowetan Live reported that Metro FM presenter and Idols judge Unathi Msengana had been told by her station manager that she may not interview Khaya.
She told the newspaper: "This morning [Wednesday] an instruction was personally given to me by my station manager not to interview Khaya. No explanation was given. I had to obey and ask no questions because he is my boss."
SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told Channel24 that as no cross-promotional agreement existed between Idols and the SABC (who own Metro FM and 5FM), a conflict of interest would arise from such interviews.
"The SABC rejected Unathi and Gareth's request to interview Khaya as they are conflicted."
Kganyago said other SABC radio presenters had interviewed Khaya, and that this decision pertained only to Msengana and Cliff, who is a 5FM DJ, as they are also Idols judges.
M-Net's Communications manager Lani Lombard confirmed to Channel24 that "scheduled interviews for the breakfast shows on 5FM and Metro FM were cancelled on Tuesday night".
However, Khaya was interviewed on Metro FM on Wednesday night.
Unathi and Gareth are both presenters on their respective stations' breakfast shows.
Unathi did not respond to queries from Channel24 before publishing this article.
On Thursday Sowetan Live reported that Metro FM presenter and Idols judge Unathi Msengana had been told by her station manager that she may not interview Khaya.
She told the newspaper: "This morning [Wednesday] an instruction was personally given to me by my station manager not to interview Khaya. No explanation was given. I had to obey and ask no questions because he is my boss."
SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told Channel24 that as no cross-promotional agreement existed between Idols and the SABC (who own Metro FM and 5FM), a conflict of interest would arise from such interviews.
"The SABC rejected Unathi and Gareth's request to interview Khaya as they are conflicted."
Kganyago said other SABC radio presenters had interviewed Khaya, and that this decision pertained only to Msengana and Cliff, who is a 5FM DJ, as they are also Idols judges.
M-Net's Communications manager Lani Lombard confirmed to Channel24 that "scheduled interviews for the breakfast shows on 5FM and Metro FM were cancelled on Tuesday night".
However, Khaya was interviewed on Metro FM on Wednesday night.
Unathi and Gareth are both presenters on their respective stations' breakfast shows.
Unathi did not respond to queries from Channel24 before publishing this article.
