Popular sports presenter Mpho Letsholonyane has apologised for sharing a cartoon that suggested Jesus wouldn’t be proud of being Shangaan.
Letsholonyane posted the apology on her Twitter account on Thursday following accusations of perpetuating tribal stereotypes.
She said sharing the video was “an error of judgement” on her part, adding that she has since deleted it.
Letsholonyane emphasised that it wasn’t her intention to hurt anyone: “Apologies for hurting/insulting you. It was not intentional.”
Flak from Twitter users
Letsholonyane got major flak from some Twitter users since sharing the cartoon late on Wednesday.
It depicted Jesus in a clinic where a doctor informs him that he’s Shangaan, not the son of God, after a DNA test.
An apparently disappointed Jesus then attempts to “scrub off” his being Shangaan before attempting to take his own life.
The presenter accompanied the video with the caption, “Still funny coz wow!!” However, some of her followers didn’t find it funny at all.
@Xipopana_ tweeted, “I’m struggling to understand how she finds that funny during a time these Shangaan folk are loaded in police vans and being harassed for sounding “funny” in the City.”
“I am so deeply offended by this mocking video. Tsonga/Shangaan as a tribe needs to be respected as they do to other tribes. We live in a democratic country where we all have equal rights,” @Christos_Fanuel added.
Some defend Letsholonyane
It wasn’t all flak for the presenter, however, as some of her followers came to her defence.
@zintle_queen replied, “I’m a proud Shangaan and definitely find that video funny.”
@original_miss_p argued, “Imagine apologising for what you deem humorous….I laugh all the time when they make jokes about Xhosa people (which I am).
“Sometimes we get dragged for having loose morals and it’s not a joke, Zulus and now Shangaan… I think we are being too sensitive on this app.”