Willemse probe: Why Botha and Mallett aren't racist

An independent inquiry into the circumstances around Ashwin Willemse’s on-air walkout last month has cleared Nick Mallett and Naas Botha of racism and they will resume work in due course. 

But Willemse declined to participate in the probe led by senior counsel Vincent Maleka, saying it wasn’t the correct forum to address the issue. 

According to a letter sent to Maleka by his lawyers, Willemse was adamant that “racism was the cause of the incident and the narrative perpetuated by SuperSport that there was no racism reinforces his view and infringed his human rights and dignity”.

“They specifically reserve Willemse’s right to redress that infringement in an appropriate forum,” Maleka said in the report. 

At Maleka’s suggestion, SuperSport will refer the report to the Human Rights Commission “for final resolution”. 

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