South Africans were left fuming on Sunday after the SABC aired an interview with the mother of convicted rapist Nicholas Ninow.
Ninow was last year accused of raping a seven-year-old girl in a Dros bathroom and later pleaded guilty to the crime.
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In the interview, Ninow’s mother defends her son’s serious crimes by claiming that he is “is not a rapist” and simply “made a mistake”.
[EXCLUSIVE] Just 10 days after Dros child rapist #NicholasNinow was sentenced to life imprisonment, his mother has spoken exclusively to me.
Parts of the interview coming up on #SABCNEWS channel 404 from a little after 5pm.
‘I’m sorry to the little girl and her family’ pic.twitter.com/PD6WMFiyv8
— Chriselda Lewis
(@Chriseldalewis) October 27, 2019
South Africa, however, found the interview insulting, with many agreeing that it made the rapist look like a victim.
#NicholasNinow is a rapist, not a victim. SABC should be using the same energy on the little girl’s family as much as they do on Ninow Family…..
— Katlego Maseng (@KatlegoMaseng1) October 28, 2019
When I was working as a social worker, every perpetrator was also a victim of something. That’s how it works. And it’s a cycle we have to break. But that’s not what that interview is. It’s wanting #NicholasNinow victim status to define him, exonerate him, exceptionalise him.
— Jodi Allemeier (@urbanjodi) October 28, 2019
Troubling attempts to “humanise” #NicholasNinow and subject us to his mother’s tears and denial. Any fool can see that this interview is white privilege on media steroids.
Why, @SABCNewsOnline? Does sensational newsworthiness and clickbait trump social justice?
— Suntosh Pillay (@suntoshpillay) October 28, 2019
Dear @SABCNewsOnline
Please pull down that interview you did of #NicholasNinow‘s mother.
1. You’re subjecting the child to secondary victimisation.
2. You’re perpetuating #WhitePrivilege
3. You’re reinforcing the dysfunctional idea that rape can be a mistake#NOTINMYNAME pic.twitter.com/lyAAheWDUZ— #NOTINMYNAMESA Head of Comms. (@Mo_Senne) October 28, 2019
I fail to understand the necessity of this interview. What are you trying to address? If anything, you’re perpetuating privilege and dysfunctional thought patterns where suggestible people will think that rape can be a mistake.
Stop it! #NicholasNinow pic.twitter.com/jrmBDrYr3e
— #NOTINMYNAMESA Head of Comms. (@Mo_Senne) October 28, 2019
So #NicholasNinow according to his mother “made a mistake.” Putting salt instead of sugar in your coffee is a mistake. Forgetting to switch off the iron is a mistake.
Not rape. Raping a defenceless child is not “a mistake.”
— Raised in Africa. (@paballo_patsa) October 28, 2019
The interview continues to trend on Twitter as South Africans call for the SABC to take it down.
Feature image: screenshot, @SABCNewsOnline via Twitter
