EFF celebrates success of boycott after ANN7 South African of the Year Awards postponed

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) called for more boycotts of Gupta media-related events in the wake of the postponement of the ANN7 South African of the Year Awards.

“The importance of such a boycott is to make sure that we expose the abnormality of the Gupta criminal and kleptocratic syndicate‚” the party’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said. “All individuals who were invited and withdrew their participation have chosen to put the interests of the country first and‚ in the process‚ demonstrated their dignity and self-worth.”

While the EFF celebrated the effectiveness of the boycott‚ ANN7 said the event was postponed due to "unforeseen regulatory circumstances" and a new date would be announced in due course.

"The postponement is due to unforeseen regulatory circumstances that have materially impacted on logistics for the event. Regretfully‚ this has left us with no choice but to seek a new date in the near future. We look forward to confirming a rescheduled date‚” ANN7’s Moegsien Williams said.

Ndlozi‚ however‚ contended that the postponement was “a manifestation of the response to the EFF call for South Africans to boycott the awards‚ thus rendering the ceremony unattainable”.

“The EFF further calls for more boycotts on all that is associated with the Guptas; we must all stop going to the Gupta-owned ANN7 TV programmes and taking interviews from The New Age‚” he said.

“This family has abused the generosity of the South African spirit‚ humiliated our hospitality simply because they have bought politicians of the ANC and are in business with Jacob Zuma.”

He argued that to be associated “with any of their businesses‚ in particular media houses‚ will indirectly or directly normalise their criminal and kleptocratic pursuits”. TshisaLIVE reported on Tuesday that it understands that organisers are looking at a date around April next year.

The awards‚ which were set to host performances by American artists Robin Thicke and Jennifer Lopez‚ were supposed to be held at the TicketPro Dome on November 25.

The awards were cast into the spotlight last week when the EFF issued a statement calling on celebrities‚ such as Bonang and Somizi‚ to cancel their participation in the "criminal" event.

– TMG Digital and TshisaLIVE