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Johannesburg - In what has been a turbulent first week of 2016 for South Africa, Gareth Cliff has found himself isolated from many of his high-profile and celebrity friends.
Gareth's future as a judge on Idols South Africa was put to a halt after his controversial tweets on comments made by estate agent, Penny Sparrow.
M-Net announced on Saturday that while it doesn't think that Gareth is racist, his response to the issue showed a 'lack of empathy.'
On Friday, before he was given the boot, Gareth asked DJ Fresh and advocate Dali Mpofu to join him on CliffCentral to debate race. Both called him out on his comments, again explaining why he was wrong.
At the end of the conversation, a humble Gareth was thankful for the support at a time when other's have been fearful to speak up.
"Thank you guys for standing up for me this week because a lot of the time I felt very isolated this - that's the truth. It was a painful week in many ways - for people who have far more reason to be pained than me. But you sometimes think, 'oh my God, this is bad, nothing is right. There's no way out. And it was very very kind of you to back me up."
After M-Net announced its decision not to include Gareth on the judging panel, DJ Fresh has been one of the few public profiles to publicly speak out on the matter.
With respect, wasted opportunity by @MNet .. @GarethCliff would have been perfect spokesperson for #WayForward / #WhatNext! #OhWell ????
Well, we guess it's only in tough times that you find out who has got your back - and isn't afraid to say it publicly.
For a link to the podcast, click here. Yes, it's long, but so worth it!
