Gareth Cliff has won\u00a0his court case against M-Net, following his\u00a0dismissal from reality show Idols.<\/p>\n
Cliff’s removal from the show followed\u00a0a backlash on Twitter after he commented on a Facebook post by KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow.<\/p>\n
Sparrow had called\u00a0black beachgoers monkeys.\u00a0Cliff then tweeted: \u201cPeople really don\u2019t understand free speech at all.”<\/p>\n
The High Court in Johannesburg decided on 29 January that Cliff\u00a0must be reinstated as a judge on Idols with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
“This is a contractual dispute. The contractual relationship has to be reinstated to what it was. M-Net will pay costs to Gareth Cliff,” said\u00a0Judge Caroline Nicholls, as reported by Channel24<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Cliff\u2019s lawyer Dali Mpofu and M-Net\u2019s legal representative Wim Trengove originally presented their arguments in the high court on 26 January.<\/span><\/p>\n Cliff wanted his job back, and in a related\u00a0legal case is asking for R25 million for defamation and breach of contract.<\/p>\n Auditions for Idols 2016 will begin at The Playhouse in Durban on 30 January.<\/p>\n Cliff said he was thrilled with the court ruling in his favour that also ordered M-Net to pay all his legal costs, reported News24<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n “We’re very pleased about this,” he\u00a0said.<\/p>\n Cliff’s\u00a0lawyer, Eric Mabuza, said he always believed a judgment in Cliff’s favour would be delivered.<\/p>\n “We’ve always been confident about the case… this case indicates that everyone is equal before the law,” said Mabuza.<\/p>\n “It also indicates that human rights are human rights. You do not have black human rights, or white human rights.”<\/p>\n There is no contract with Gareth Cliff: M-Net<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nCliff thrilled with ruling<\/h3>\n
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