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Johannesburg - Complaints that remarks on a Metro FM current affairs show encouraged xenophobia have been dismissed by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA).
"In the result we could not find any contravention of the code and the complaint is, accordingly, not upheld," the BCCSA said in its judgment this week.
"The tribunal found that although some of the comments hinted at xenophobia, they did not amount to the advocacy of hatred and there was no incitement to cause harm."
The BCCSA received complaints from listeners, referred to only as Siguague and Mathebula, that the presenter of "The Touchdown" programme made derogatory remarks after a Nigerian artist failed to turn up for an interview.
The presenter, known as Tbo Touch, apparently spoke about Nigerians and other artists who were late for appointments or did not turn up.
The complainants said Touch made reference to finding the nearest border post if one was unhappy with him only playing local music, which suggested "return to your countries" connotations.
Touch said he would not be disrespected on South African land and no one was going to come to South Africa and tell South Africans how things were done.
The complainants submitted that Touch was sarcastic in his mention of a news story in which a Nigerian was arrested, saying it was an attempt to "paint all Nigerians with the same brush".
They claimed Touch made distasteful comments about Nigeria as a country and questioned its resources such as "do they even have spas".
They further submitted that Touch referred to "African" time and implied it was only people from certain geographical areas that failed to adhere to timekeeping.
