EFF STATEMENT ON THE SUNDAY SUN STORY ABOUT AKA AND CASSPER NYOVEST
11 October 2015
The EFF rejects the lazy, myopic and non-creative story by the Sunday Sun about the CIC Julius Malema and rappers AKA and Csassper Nyovest as utter nonsense and pure lies. The tabloid claims that the CIC met with AKA and Cassper Nyovest "just after their electrifying performance at the University of Limpopo... and sat them down like naughty little boys who needed reprimanding."
Firstly, this is a lie which seeks to create an impression that the CIC disrespects these two artists.
Secondly, the paper then goes on to claim that the CIC took to stage at the EFF picnic bash in Turfloop and "made it clear the beef between the two rappers is nothing but a waste of time. He advised the young men that their fight is useless and they should instead channel their energy into fighting for something constructive - like land."
Any self-respecting paper would at least attribute this to some unknown source. But the propensity for falsehoods in the Sunday Sun has so infected their journalistic ethics that they even lie about something everyone heard on stage. The CIC never met the two artists, or had any discussion about their work before or after their performances.
The CIC also never said any of these things when addressing the crows from the stage. Instead he made students understand that within the history of Kwaito and hip-hop there is always a competitiveness between leading artists. He gave examples of Tupac and Biggie Smalls. He then said we must support them both, because both are making us proud being black brothers with their success and impact in the music industry.
The CIC was aware that a historic moment had occurred in the history of hip-hop in South Africa and in front of a no less than a 25 000 strong crowd. AKA and Cassper Nyovest were performing on one stage and were doing their "diss-tracks". This moment, taking place on the EFF platform had to be ushered by a proper understanding of the artistic importance of the competition which as the CIC indicated, needed the masses to support both artists. Music is truly that powerful, and all hip hop music comes out to the diverse hip-hop community and audience which must continue to support both artists.
The EFF would like to encourage journalists to try and pay attention by attending events as opposed to thumb-sucking stories to the detriment of journalistic ethics. The reason no one wrote or covered the story first hand is due to the attitude many journalists have in not attending to stories outside the metropolitan and urban city spaces. Had this event taken place in Johannesburg, all entertainment and gossip journalists would have been there, including their editors. The Sunday Sun story lacks in imagination, ethics and journalistic standards and it will fall into the sloppy dustbin of poor journalism.
The EFF takes this opportunity to congratulate AKA for winning the "best male Southern Africa" and "Best Collaboration" awards at the Annual African Muzik Magazine Awards which took place at Texas, Dallas. We further encourage all South Africans to fill up the Dome on the 31 October 2015 in support of Cassper Nyovest.
Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 11 October 2015
