If you’re interested in bucking censorship, it seems like it’s a lot easier to do so on the news these days than on HBO. On a recent South African news program, a marijuana advocate ended a debate by pulling out a joint and lighting up on air, because who gives a shit, right? I suppose it’s a good thing he wasn’t a murder advocate. Check out the video of the incident below.
The debate occurred on Monday on the SABC series The Newsroom, and took place between Cannabis Working Group’s Andrew du Plessis and the Central Drug Authority’s deputy chairperson David Nayever. The anchor begins wrapping up the segment by talking about Texas’ recent bill proposal for full weed legalization, and then both men share their opinions on getting similar things done in South Africa. Nayever claimed that the CDA understands that the pros of legalization in the country are things that needs to be investigated, but blames part of the negligence on xenophobic attacks throughout the country.
It’s that last part that got du Plessis angry enough to snap, calling out the xenophobic excuse as garbage and saying that the CDA is years late in wanting to take on the matter. Then he decides to soothe his emotions by sparking a joint and taking a few puffs, soon ending his part in the interview.
For those who thought that it might not be pot in the rolling paper, du Plessis copped to it in an interview elsewhere later that day, according to Channel 24.
I’m going to admit it. During the live interview, you saw the pictures of people smoking it in Cape Town. The only think I could do was really sit back and smoke a joint.
That’s some real Nelson Man-doja, am I right? If only all slightly awkward newscasts would end this way, particularly that mind-numbing talk between Nancy Grace and 2 Chainz over legalization issues. The only thing that would have made it better is if he would have gotten super stoned immediately and started waxing on about some unrelated nonsense. But that probably wouldn’t have been a very good look for his cause. Thankfully, there’s always this unwitting reporter to fall back on.
This hilarious SABC moment happened a month after The Newsroom’s former anchor Eben Jansen got overly feisty with an Economic Freedom Fighters spokesman over recent protests, and was then suspended indefinitely. And in March, SABC contributing editor Vuyo Mvoko was mugged on camera while he was prepping a news piece in Johannesburg. Never a dull moment for SABC.
