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A teacher from Ekurhuleni has taken on a major broadcaster, and won. Or has he lost?
This has to do with the reality show, No Excuse: Pay Papgeld, which airs on DStv’s Moja Love channel every Saturday.
Despite being threatened with an interdict on Wednesday and agreeing to withdraw last night’s episode, the channel’s producers Siyaya TV said on Friday that the show would go ahead – but did not say when.
The spicy show has captured viewers’ attention for publicly confronting fathers who allegedly neglect their kids, with its cameras popping up when least expected.
The Ekurhuleni teacher was accused by his ex-wife of failing to adequately maintain their two minor children – but has produced proof that he does, in fact, pay maintenance.
“I got a call from a lady who identified herself as Boitumelo,” the teacher told City Press.
“She said she got my number from one of my former learners, who said I was a good motivator and that because her company ran a programme that encouraged matriculants to take up teaching as a profession, I could be of help to them. Because she mentioned my full names and even the name of the school I taught at in Limpopo, I thought the call was genuine.”
The woman suggested a meeting at a nearby fast food joint on January 9 to discuss him being recorded for a radio broadcast.
“When I got there, the presenter came from behind me and called out my name. Suddenly there were three crew – two with cameras and one with a microphone,” he said.
The teacher asked to talk with the presenter privately, showing him WhatsApp messages and proof that he paid for his kids. It was only then that he realised the crew was filming him the whole time.
He argues that he did not give consent to be filmed, was not given a fair right of reply and was up to date with his maintenance payments. By going ahead, Pay Papgeld was defaming him, he said.
On Wednesday, his legal representatives sent Papgeld producers Siyaya TV a demand to withdraw the episode featuring him that was scheduled for broadcast last night, with promos being shown featuring him.
At the 11th hour – just ahead of being interdicted – Siyaya agreed not to broadcast the episode as scheduled.
However, on Friday night, channel head Jacqueline Rainers Setai sent City Press an email stating that Moja Love would still go ahead with the broadcast.
She wrote: “The channel had completed the interview with his consent. At no point did the complainant leave, but instead, continued a lengthy discussion with the show’s presenter ... By providing information and engaging with the show, consent was provided.”
She said the show did not claim that the teacher had not paid maintenance, but that he was paying too little.
“It is clearly stated that he was approached for a request for an increase in maintenance, from R1 500 per child to R2 500 per child, as well as for medical aid assistance. These facts are repeated more than once in the episode. The children’s identities are never revealed.
“[He] used his right of reply within the episode to state his position very clearly.”
The teacher’s lawyer, Bulelani Mzamo, defended his client. “If the children’s mother felt that the amount he was ordered to pay for maintenance every month was too little, she could have gone back to the maintenance court and not a TV show.”
The teacher is demanding that Pay Papgeld acknowledge the damage it has caused: “I want them to apologise on air during that slot and say they have wronged me and defamed me ... I also want them gore bantlhatswe matsogo (to apologise by paying me) because now I am known in the community as someone who does not maintain his children.”
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