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Somizi steers clear of Idols controversy on radio return

Johannesburg- Radio personality and Idols SA judge Somizi would not be drawn into addressing questions about the Penny Sparrow race debacle during his return to his radio show on CliffCentral.com on Thursday.

This comes just days after Gareth Cliff lost his gig as Idols SA judge for comments he shared on social media related to Sparrow’s shocking and controversial Facebook post.

In the early hours of Saturday morning M-Net released a press statement confirming that Gareth had been fired from his position as an Idols SA judge amidst the controversy.

The decision sparked widespread debate on social media with some people calling M-Net out on having so-called double standards. Social media users were referring to a racial debate, which involved Somizi late last year.

At the time Somizi made comments about an image of white people wearing the old South African flag. It later emerged that it was an old image doing the rounds.

M-Net revealed that there would be no action against Somizi as a zero tolerance policy had been adopted from now onwards. (Read more on that here)

On Thursday morning however Somizi returned to his radio show for the first time since the debacle, but would not be drawn into answering questions about the issue from his co-hosts.

"I strongly believe from the bottom of my heart, that we are very fragile as a country and that we are a ticking time bomb. Even though it's been 21 years since democracy, we still need a lot more therapy. As far as Gareth, me and the Idols situation is concerned, it's a sensitive issue because there are legal constraints that prevents me from talking about it," he explained.

Adding; "For now let's put it to bed. I'm emotional about it and I'm not the right personal to talk about it."

Somizi also said that he has no knowledge of who would be replacing Gareth as a judge on the show. 

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