The suspended 702 journalist has had his salary covered by Good Samaritans.
Barry Bateman, who was suspended for a month without pay after calling Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema a ‘poes’, has had his salary covered by supporters.
Bateman, who works for Eyewitness News (EWN) – which provides news for 702 and other stations – was interviewing Malema outside the office of the Hawks in Pretoria. Malema had met with the crime-fighting body to have a warning statement delivered to him.
In an impromptu press conference, Bateman asked Malema if he had attacked a policeman at the funeral of the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Malema responded: ‘I wish I did that, I wish I assaulted him. Now that it’s a real issue, I wish I did the real thing, proper. I regret not doing it. So that I deal with real stuff. Me, I’m not scared, boet, uniform or no uniform. Afrikaner or no Afrikaner. White or pink, I deal with you decisively.’ Bateman, having turned away after switching off his microphone, was caught on camera (by another news organisation) using the expletive. The footage was leaked and subsequently went viral.
Bateman was taken off air by EWN after this incident. This week, Bateman released a statement saying he apologised to Malema and the women of South Africa (EWN evidently regards using the word ‘poes’ as a form of gender-based violence). The statement also said he was suspended for a month without pay, and was given a final written warning, valid for 12 months.
In response, Dr Jonathan Witt, who is also the co-host of a podcast, the Renegade Report, said he would be raising money for Bateman to cover his salary for one month, and shared the details of a bank account on Twitter. Witt deleted the tweet about a day or so later, saying that the goal for Bateman had been reached.
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