Canned writer David Bullard has apologised to readers of a column that
got him axed for racism. But now he plans to sue the Sunday Times for
breaching labour law, writes Justine Gerardy in the Saturday Star.
"I couldn't comprehend that it would be offensive to so many people and that's what the apology was about," Bullard, 55, said on Friday.
"It's driven home that the days of apartheid, which I never suffered under, are still real to people. And one has to be sensitive to that."
'What I regret is that so many people took offence'
Bullard apologised in a national newspaper for his recent column on pre-colonial South Africa. The column cost him his 14-year contract with Sunday Times.
Three complaints have also been lodged with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Bullard now plans to sue Sunday Times publisher Avusa in the labour court for two years of lost income.
"We believe we've got a strong case. We're up for a fight because we think we're going to win," he said.
The apology was a different issue and the legal case was due to belief that labour law had been breached, he said. "You can't sack someone over the phone, without a warning or calling them in. They zapped the middle finger to the Employment Act."
Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya called Bullard to tell him he was fired and his Out to Lunch column had been cancelled.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.ÂÂÂ
