Controversial Sunday Times columnist David Bullard has been axed for writing a “racist columnâ€ÂÂ, writes hajra omarjee in Business Day.
CONTROVERSIAL Sunday Times columnist David Bullard has been axed for writing a “racist columnâ€ÂÂ.
In his last offering of Out to Lunch, Bullard graphically detailed how Africa had “benefited†from colonialism, an argument that drew criticism from readers and social commentators.
“He wrote a racist column on Sunday. I had a conversation with him on Tuesday, I told him that what he wrote was unacceptable,†Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya said last night. “It went against the values of this newspaper.
“He told me he believed what he had written. I took a decision as editor to discontinue his contract.â€ÂÂ
Social commentator Xolela Mangcu said he was “delighted†by news of Bullard’s axing, saying racism could not be disguised as freedom of speech .
“Freedom of speech is not an invitation for racist speech,†Mangcu said.
He had taken exception to Bullard’s column and wrote in yesterday’s Business Day that democracy was “not an invitation" for “offensive speech†and that this time Bullard had gone too far.
Click here to read the full story, posted on Business Day's website.
