Jon Qwelane’s column is offensive, but it must not be used to muzzle the media
Called to testify by Qwelane’s lawyers, Sunday Sun deputy editor Ben Viljoen also said Media 24’s apology for the story was meaningless and unsatisfactory
Although former journalist and ambassador to Uganda Jon Qwelane’s column titled Call me names but gay is not okay‚ was offensive‚ the laws that protect his freedom of expression must remain intact. That is according to Sunday Sun deputy editor Ben Viljoen‚ who was called to testify by Qwelane’s legal team before the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The South African Human Rights Commission is the applicant in the case against Qwelane‚ after he failed to apologise for the 2008 Sunday Sun column. In the column‚ Qwelane suggested that the Constitution’s acceptance of gay marriage would lead to "some idiot [demanding] to marry an animal". He also endorsed Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s views on homosexuality. Viljoen said Qwelane did not see the column’s headline or the accompanying cartoon — of a man marrying a goat — before its publication‚ and that ultimately it was the newspaper that was responsible for the publication. "Mr Qwelane, like any journalist, simply puts for...
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