South African journalist sacked for calling President Zuma a 'zombie'

A popular South African radio presenter has been fired by the Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), for calling President Jacob Zuma a "zombie" in a Facebook post, the privately owned News 24 site has reported.

According to SABC spokesman, Kaizer Kganyago, he said OAP Ravi Govender's contract was terminated because of concerns that he had brought the public broadcaster into disrepute.

Although, the Radio Lotus presenter had earlier apologized for the post that he said he had put up in anger after listening to a speech by the President at the governing African National Congress' (ANC) policy conference in the main city, Johannesburg, on Friday

“Just heard a Zombie Zuma giving a speech on the news. Massacring the beautiful English language. Uneducated creature. Even the other moron [Zimbabwe's President Robert] Mugabe speaks much better," he was reported to have said in the post which was later deleted.

Mr. Zuma’s son, Edward, accused Mr. Govender of hate speech and threatened legal action against him.

“We fail as a family to understand what prompted Ravi Govender to make such a statement referring to our father as a zombie. Is this still part of freedom of speech? We believe that this is the worst form of abuse of democracy that many of our leaders fought so hard to achieve,” he was quoted by Times Live as saying.