MKMVA OUTRAGED ABOUT THE RACIST CONDUCT OF eNCA JOURNALIST, LINDSAY DENTLINGER, AND DEMANDS THAT IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY STEPS MUST BE TAKEN AGAINST HER

Thursday, 25 February 2021

Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) is outraged by the racism of eNCA reporter, Lindsay Dentlinger, who specifically targets African Members of Parliament (MP’s) that she interviews with her stern insistance that they must wear their masks. She even has the temerity to give them lectures about the need to wear masks in order to fight COVID-19.

This she does in the tone of a white schoolmistress, talking down to the likes of ANC MP, and National Executive Committee (NEC) member, the Honorable Bongani Bongo, as if he and other African MP’s are not fully aware of the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic. This the racist Ms. Dentlinger does only to African MP’s, while she is very happy to interview white Members of Parliament, among them DA leader, the Honorable John Steenhuizen, and the Freedom Front Plus leader, the Honorable Pieter Groenewald, without their masks. She does not make the slightest effort to similarly admonish these white MP's to wear masks.

MKMVA attaches to this media statement the video footage of Ms. Dentlinger’s racist conduct, as she demanded of ANC MP, the Honorable Bongani Bongo, IFP MP, the Honorable Kholeka Gcaleka, and UDM MP, the Honorable Nqabayomzi Kwanka, to put on their masks before she is prepared to interview them.

Racism expresses itself in many forms against black (and especially African) South Africans every day in our country. Every time a racist act is committed, it is utterly unacceptable! However, it is particularly shocking to see it so blatantly on display on a major television news channel such as e-NCA.

It is furthermore shocking that the owners and editors of e-NCA have not even registered Ms. Dentlinger’s blatant racist conduct, and had done absolutely nothing to to stop it, and to discipline her. They only seem to have registered that there is something serious wrong, after there is now a serious outcry against this wanton racism on Twitter, and other social media platforms. It tells us a lot about the racially biased attitude that prevails at TV news channels such as eNCA, and the challenges that black South Africans are faced with regarding fair and objective reporting about matters that concern the vast majority of our population who are black, and especially African.

MKMVA will not tolerate this racist outrage any longer. The time to treat racists with kid gloves is long over. Enough is enough!