Nhlanhla Nene - 2008 Chair Mishap

2008 Chair Mishap

In 2008 he became an online hit after a 26-second clip of him falling from a chair was posted on the video website Youtube. The chair malfunction occurred while Mr Nene was answering questions concerning Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's mini-budget on the programme View from the House. On the video, the chair cracks audibly, causing Nene to wince, though he kept speaking. Twelve seconds after the cracking sound the chair failed catastrophically, causing Nene to fall backwards, his hands grabbing at the desk as the chair collapsed beneath him. Presenter Hayde Fitzpatrick managed to keep stone faced as the camera switched quickly to her. The program then went to a commercial break while produces ascertained Nene's condition. He was unharmed and the interview continued, with Nene in a different chair, once the show resumed.

The incident led to an apology from the South African Broadcasting Corporation after the clip was leaked onto the internet and they are conducting an investigation into who leaked the video. SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago called the event "unforeseeable and an accident," adding that "Mr. Nene must be applauded for being a true professional. He carried on with the interview after a short ad break." The clip has subsequently had over 25000 views. The video was viewed 498,000 times on 27 October 2008. It has since been posted to a number of other viral video websites and social networking websites and has been the subject of discussions on various radio programs.

Though Nene has said that the incident would not be good for his public image he later joked about it, stating that he had asked colleagues not to refer to his job title of Chair of the Committee whilst in his company. One colleague quipped that perhaps Nene should give up his chairmanship of the portfolio finance committee to lead a standing committee instead. The story has been covered by the BBC and the Telegraph and Nene's office has been swamped by media requests since the incident. In response to the global media coverage, Nene stated he no longer wished to talk about the matter. He has denied that his weight was responsible for the chair's failure, saying "I know I am heavy but I sit on these chairs all the time. It can‘t be my weight." He indicates that his children have been teased about the incident at school by classmates. He has reportedly sought legal advice concerning his rights and options regarding the way the video was leaked.

On 29 October 2010 Jimmy Fallon did a segment of the video called Remix the Clips on his late night show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It was featured again 2 years later on 12 July 2012 in a segment called The Danger of Sitting on the Late Show with David Letterman.