After MultiChoice canned racist Mike Bolhuis' TV show on kykNET the private investigator starts a belated apology tour pleading for forgiveness: 'I used these terms in anger'.

After MultiChoice canned the racist Mike Bolhuis' TV show Bolhuis on kykNET (DStv 144) following his derogatory and racist comments, the private investigator has started a belated apology tour to try and do damage control, pleading for public forgiveness and saying that "I used these terms in anger".

Mike Bolhuis also revealed that "further conversations" could "surface that might paint me as someone who discriminates".

Racism caused MultiChoice to axe the kykNET show Bolhuis after a voice note with extremely racist and derogatory language by investigator and Bolhuis star Mike Bolhuis surfaced, referring to a black person as "a pitchblack houtkop" (wood head) and using the "n"-word.

The second season of the detective reality show Bolhuis, produced by Rian van Heerden also responsible for other kykNET tabloid programming fare like Die Siener, was set to start on 31 July on kykNET (DStv 144).

M-Net's Afrikaans language channels division however abruptly pulled the show from its schedule and also yanked the first season repeats of Bolhuis from sister channel kykNET&kie (DStv 145) shortly before broadcast.

Bolhuis also disappeared from the DStv Now's Catch Up service and the Showmax subscription video-on-demand service run by MultiChoice's Connected Video division with episodes that would have been made available simultaneously on Showmax.

kykNET didn't want to be honest and open with viewers or the public and when asked why Bolhuis was pulled from the schedule at short notice, only told TVwithThinus and other media that the show could no longer be broadcast "due to contractual issues".

kykNET refused to explain or admit the shocking racism and discriminatory language in a recording of Mike Bolhuis that led to MultiChoice ordering Bolhuis off of kykNET.

The news was revealed anyway by upset insiders, making kykNET look bad for not being upfront about exposing, naming and shaming such disgusting behaviour when it is the cause of content cancellation on DStv.

kykNET boss Karen Meiring was asked for comment from the channel's side but haven't responded with any public statement.

MultiChoice said in a statement that "It came to our attention that Mike Bolhuis had conducted certain conversations in which he expressed himself in a discriminatory manner, which is unacceptable to MultiChoice".

"MultiChoice is committed to the building of a non-racial society and strongly condemns any acts of discrimination. In the circumstances, we resolved that programming in the second season of the Bolhuis series, in which Mike Bolhuis is the central figure would not be broadcast."

"We are in full support of a society where freedom of speech is celebrated, however we take a stand against discrimination."

For almost a week after having no comment and saying nothing, Mike Bolhuis who failed to immediately speak to the public and giving comment to the media, has now started a weird and belated public apology PR attempt, aimed at trying to rehabilitate his damaged and racist image.

Mike Bolhuis in a weird direct-to-camera apology, chose eNuus, the daily Afrikaans TV news bulletin of kykNET done by e.tv news for the channel, to make a public apology on Thursday evening, pleading for forgiveness.

Instead of looking sideways at reporter Mia Spies, eNuus recorded Mike Bolhuis looking straight into the camera for his belated and odd-looking mea culpa, saying in Afrikaans "I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. The apology is irrespective of whether the series continues or not, because it is the right thing to do".

It's unclear why it took Mike Bolhuis days to finally do some type of a public apology instead of immediately when he was asked after the racism and discrimination connected to the Bolhuis production was revealed.

In a written statement Mike Bolhuis now says that "I used these terms in anger but in retrospect realised that the use of this kind of language can hurt others and further the divide between people in our country".

"I in no way think that my apology absolves me, and I have no expectation that my television programme will continue."

"In my fight against crime, I have made many enemies, and I also expect that there will be opportunistic attempts now to further discredit me by these individuals."

"If further conversations surface that might paint me as someone who discriminates, I would like the public to understand that I now want to be part of the solution to South Africa's problems."

He says that "My apology is unconditional, for not only any discriminatory language I used previously but for the fact that I did not offer my services earlier to help build a unified country."

REVIEW. ANN7 on MultiChoice's DStv throws M-Net under the bus for M-Net's racist job advert - but makes several on-air mistakes in its bad on-air segment.

It was all kinds of cringe on Monday evening watching how ANN7 (DStv 405) on MultiChoice's DStv decided to throw pay-TV broadcaster M-Net under the bus for its racist recruitment ad in another sarcastic Sindy segment marred by mistakes.

ANN7 on Monday followed up on reporting that M-Net fired Ambit Recruitment for a patently racist job ad seeking a "Specifically White, English commissioning editor". 

M-Net - the pay-TV broadcaster and the Randburg-based company distanced itself from Ambit Recruitment.

It's important to note here that M-Net the company, also runs a TV channel that's also called M-Net, on channel 101 of MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Keep in mind that the shockingly racist advert was for a commissioning editor job position that was advertised by the company - the corporate part - not the TV channel part.

M-Net in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus on Sunday said Ambit Recruitment subcontracted the job recruitment ad placement out and did so without M-Net's knowledge, to Kandhi Consulting.

M-Net said that the company never specified any race demographic requirement in its brief to Ambit Recruitment.

M-Net called the job ad "abhorrent", and M-Net - rightly so - caught a lot of flack from South Africa's TV industry and South Africans who called the pay-TV broadcaster out for the blatant racism.

Now cue ANN7.

The Mzwanele "Jimmy" Manyi owned TV channel decided to chime in on Monday evening with another one of its eye-rolling ANN Prime segments with anchor Sindy Mabe where slanted, leading questions is an ANN7 format forte.

These always end in a question mark so as to cushion thinly-veiled statements and opinions as questions, sort of like asking "Is ANN7 a disgrace to South African television and sowing racial division or is it trying to do TV news?"

While M-Net was legitimately bad and deserves a lot of criticism for the racist job recruitment ad, ANN7 could have produced the segment a lot better in bringing real proper context to this issue of racial discrimination in the job seeking sector.

Instead ANN7's toxic talking heads format came across as worsening and inflaming existing racial divisions in South Africa - something that more than 12 500 DStv subscribers have already signed a petition over this year.

Also keep in mind that ANN7 used DStv's airwaves on Monday evening to do so.

DStv subscribers, whether they watch this hot mess or not, are still forced to pay for this type of badly done television.

The Monday evening trash piece was cringe-worthy to watch.

Let's review the ANN7 Prime segment that ANN7 did and the several problems with it, using the same "slanted question method" that ANN7 loves to employ.

"In its segment about M-Net's racist job recruitment ad looking for a "White, English" speaking person, was it wrong and bad for ANN7 to decided to use only one in-studio guest who is White and English speaking, to comment?"

"Does that one guest and several caller comments adequately frame the important issue and help viewers to understand the issue better?"

"Could ANN7's segment possibly have been better if it booked and used the admitted plagiarist Prof. Sipho Seepe that ANN7 often employs as a commentator on subjects? Where was he to tell the nation about M-Net on Monday night if he's used for a wide range of topics like the SABC?"

"Were interns on duty in the ANN7 control room, or why did ANN7 decide to leave out stuff again like the word 'been' that belongs between "not" and "revealed" in its screen card?"

"Why did ANN7 use the M-Net HD channel logo (and an old outdated one as well) that refers to a specific TV channel, when the issue is about M-Net the company and a broadcaster business?"

"Why did Sindy erroneously say that M-Net's 'got a recruiting agency, Kandhi Consulting, who then subsequently got a third party to do the project or the campaign' - when it's actually exactly the other way around?"

"Will ANN7 and Sindy perhaps again be forced to do an on-air apology by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission like it had to do last month?"

"Why does Sindy Mabe waste precious on-air time with sarcasm, saying things like 'such a lovely letter to reassure us that look, they couldn't make the time to come in studio, nonetheless that they took the effort to write a responding email to our questions?"

"Why does Sindy Mabe throw M-Net under the bus by asking about 'that lovely note, that the M-Net CEO is unable to even pick up the phone and engage us on this platform but they send out their carefully crafted PR statement' when ANN7 itself is terrible with responding to media enquiries and rarely respond to emails from the media?"

As a TV critic covering South Africa's TV industry, I feel that ANN7 wasted a golden opportunity to do a more nuanced exploration of a very serious issue.

ANN7 failed to actually advance the story and did a disservice to the country's TV biz and in general to South African pay-TV viewers.

ANN7 failed by not more adequately doing a proper and more representative segment on a very serious issue and a big mistake that could - and must - serve as an important talking point.

M-Net fires recruitment agency Ambit Recruitment after 'abhorrent' and racist job ad from Kandhi Consulting advertising for 'specifically White, English' M-Net commissioning editor.

A racist M-Net job ad seeking a commissioning editor for the Randburg-based pay-TV broadcaster is shocking South Africa's TV industry with its apartheid-style discriminatory requirement put out by Kandhi Consulting "specifically looking for a White, English speaking commissioning editor".

M-Net says it has fired Ambit Recruitment over the "abhorrent advertisement", with Ambit Recruitment that according to M-Net, subcontracted Kandhi Consulting without M-Net's permission or knowledge.

M-Net told TVwithThinus that the pay-TV broadcaster is "appalled by the advert, which was not authorised by us" and that "the advert you have alerted us to is racist, unlawful and disgraceful".

While the advert is legitimate and M-Net is indeed urgently looking for a commissioning editor for its scripted and reality division, M-Net is distancing the pay-TV broadcaster from the racist advert that was apparently contracted out and then subcontracted out again.

It's not clear if M-Net checks job adverts after they're placed - or if not, why M-Net doesn't scrutinise it's own job placement adverts when it's contracted out.

Ambit Recruitment has been working with Kandhi Consulting who has been subcontracted to run the shockingly racist job recruitment advertisement.

The job offer of R800 000 CTC (cost to company) M-Net executive position is for "a White, English speaking commissioning editor as this role is for someone who will produce soapies and programmes in this specific demographic".

"Please note: We are specifically looking for a White, English speaking commissioning editor" says the ad.

M-Net says it has sent letters to Ambit Recruitment giving notice of termination; to Kandhi Consulting demanding that it apologise and remove the advert from all platforms; and to Executive Placements, the website where the ad was found, asking that they remove it immediately.

"M-Net is appalled by the advert, which was not authorized by us," says the pay-TV broadcaster in a strongly-worded statement in response to a media enquiry on Sunday.

"M-Net would never be associated with any advertisement which only invites white applicants, which would be contrary to our recruitment policy, our values, the Constitution and other legislation. The advert you have alerted us to is racist, unlawful and disgraceful."

"We have established that without our knowledge, our recruitment agency sub-contracted another agency to advertise M-Net's vacancy for a commissioning editor."

"Our proposed advert sent to our recruitment agency for this vacancy made no reference to the race of the applicant," says M-Net.

"Our recruitment agency has advised us that it did not mandate the sub-contracted agency to word the advert in this racist manner."

"Our attempts to reach the sub-contracted agency by telephone have not been successful. We view this in the most serious light and are investigating the matter."

"We will take appropriate and firm action (including of a disciplinary nature) should we find that anyone on our behalf was involved in the production of this abhorrent advertisement."

"M-Net has a zero-tolerance approach to racism and takes incidents such as these very seriously," says the pay-TV broadcaster.

"Our employee profile is representative of our country's demographics at every level to the highest office. We have a level 1 BBBEE rating and we produce local shows that reflect our country's diverse cultures and languages."

SHOCKING. Unilever South Africa's racist Dove ad that 'whitewash' black woman into a white female slammed for its 'racist campaign' and pathetic apology.

Dove is not a soap - it's racist.

Racist Unilever disgusting Dove advert "whitewashing" a black woman into a white female has shocked South Africa and the world with Unilever and Dove that has been slammed for its trashy commercial and its as pathetic apology.

Unilever and Dove pulled its racist ad that its marketing and advertising executives approved and is so far silent over whether anyone will be fired for its highly offensive and racist commercial.

Unilever SA pulled its racist Dove advert in which a black woman changes her T-shirt and changes into a white woman apparently with the help of cleansing, yet racist Dove.

Along with furious and shocked South Africans that quickly led to worldwide criticism, South Africa's minister of arts and culture, Nathi Mthetwa on Sunday slammed Dove and Unilever for its shocking racism, saying "we strongly condemn this racist campaign by Dove and note with concern that this is not the first time they've been called out for racism".

Dove's hopelessly pathetic social media "apology" said: "An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused."

Dove couldn't bother to actually include the word "sorry".

Unilever and Dove didn't elaborate on what "mark" it missed, although Unilever and Dove did once again hit the racist mark.

Unilever and Dove didn't want to include the actual word "apology" in what is possibly its "apology".

Unilever's trash-bad Dove ad is however not the work of just one person - a whole string of people worked on it and executives at Dove and Unilever signed off and okayed the commercial racism, and ordered it fit for public consumption.

The South African radio personality Eusebius McKaiser wrote on social media: "Dove: with one quarter moisturising cream... can't clean racism."