I called Zuma a 'zombie' out of anger - Lotus FM presenter Ravi Govender

Lotus FM presenter and columnist Ravi Govender says he called President Jacob Zuma a "zombie" on his Facebook page out of anger.

Govender posted his comments following the opening of the ANC's 5th Policy Conference, which is currently underway at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

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I posted what I posted on Facebook out of anger. I should have known better. He sounded [while delivering his speech] dead to me, no feelings, no punctuation at all," Govender told News24 on Monday.

Govender posted: "Just heard a Zombie Zuma giving a speech on the news. Massacring the beautiful English language… Uneducated creature. Even the other moron Mugabe speaks much better."

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He said he has since apologised.

'Horrified'

"I am not racist; it [English] is not his first language, but speak in Zulu and get an interpreter. I said a zombie because he sounded like a zombie to me. I have apologised and there is nothing I can do. I am wrong, I should not have said it," he said.

Zuma’s son Edward said the family was "horrified" by Govender's statement.

He said the family had endured humiliation from the media, which sometimes produced material to tarnish Zuma’s image.

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"We fail as the family to understand what prompted Ravi Govender to make such a statement referring to our father as a zombie."

He said they would formally take up the matter with Lotus FM management.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the human resources department would deal with the matter.