Gareth Cliff: M-Net gave in to the mob

Johannesburg - Gareth Cliff on Monday morning spoke out about M-Net's decision to fire him from the judging panel on Idols South Africa.

Speaking on his show on CliffCentral, Gareth said that he believed that M-Net had made the wrong decision, saying he thought they gave in to the mob.

Gareth's controversial comments last week over freedom of speech on racist comments online got him major backlash online, with social media calling on people to boycott Idols. M-Net heeded the calls, and over the weekend announced that Gareth would no longer be part of the panel.

"To be fired over this whole mess does seem unfair. M-Net has said as much. They said I'm not a racist. You have to seek legal opinion on these things. It will be interesting to hear what my lawyers say," he said.

Gareth, who has been part of the show for ten years, says that while he is going to miss his fellow judges, he is also relieved. "Every year I'm unsure about whether I should carry on with Idols. I'm vocal about that. But I'll miss the judges. We've become like family."

"Idols was not my job. It was something I did concurrently along with everything else I did. I believe they (M-Net) made the wrong decision."