Unapologetic Cliff causes stir after taking a jab at Naledi Pandor's hijab

Broadcaster Gareth Cliff has caused a stir on social media for posting a picture of international relations minister Naledi Pandor wearing a hijab, referring to her as looking like a “turd”. 

In the image, Pandor is wearing a scarf over her head which is also draped on her shoulders. In the caption, which he shared on his Instagram stories, Cliff said: “When the best you can come up with for Halloween is to dress up as a turd.”

The sentence was followed by a poop emoji. 

International relations and co-operation department head of diplomacy Clayson Monyela shared the post on X, sparking a debate on social media. Many people criticised Cliff with some saying it was not just an insult to Pandor but to women who wear hijabs.

Cliff, however, was not sorry. In follow-up posts as the debate topped charts on social media, Cliff said: “People are very stupid. The ones who get upset when I say John Steenhuisen needs to lose weight if he wants votes are different to the ones who get upset when I call Joe Biden a cadaver and those are different to the ones who get cross when I talk about Naledi Pandor. All hypocrites. 

“To be clear: I do not care if you are upset or offended. Those are your problems to deal with. I’m not required to be polite or tiptoe around your emotional fragility. As 2024 polls [approach] expect me to care even less.

“Call me whatever you like. You don’t know what’s in my head. You can’t know. I am very happy and lucky to be me. I’m grateful for that and disinterested in what strangers might think of me. I foresee a year of great excitement in 2024.” 

The debate continues on social media: