The Open Chats Podcast has become the latest South African show to face legal trouble after its hosts made offensive and racist remarks about the coloured community during an episode that has since gone viral.
Open Chats Podcast under fire for racist remarks
The incident has triggered a series of legal responses from the Patriotic Alliance (PA), who accuse the podcast of spreading harmful stereotypes and hate speech.
The controversy started when hosts Mthokozisi Methula and Sinothando Kama made degrading comments suggesting that coloured families engage in incest and suffer from mental health issues. These statements were part of a segment that was later removed from the episode but had already spread widely on social media.
In the clip, one host said, “coloureds apparently chow each other,” to which the co-host replied:
“I do believe that because coloureds are crazy.”
The statements prompted Liam Jacobs of the PA to lay criminal charges against the hosts at Brooklyn police station in Pretoria. The party also sent a legal notice to the podcast team and demanded action from broadcasting and digital platforms.
The Patriotic Alliance has made it clear that a simple apology and deletion of the clip are not enough.
The party said it will approach the Equality Court for unlawful discrimination and has submitted a complaint to YouTube to have the episode removed entirely.
The PA also intends to take the issue to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
PA leader Gayton McKenzie condemned the hosts’ behaviour, saying:
“It has become too easy to insult coloured people in this country. Enough is enough.”
McKenzie added that the party plans to organise a protest at the podcast’s recording studio and associated broadcasters.
The Open Chats Podcast issued a public apology, saying:
“The intention was never to cause harm… Open Chats is a platform centred around open conversations which at times touch on sensitive topics.”
However, Cape Forum, a civil rights organisation, rejected the apology as inadequate. Chairperson Heindrich Wyngaard stated they would also ask the SAHRC to investigate.
The Democratic Alliance’s Dr Ivan Meyer joined the calls for accountability, saying:
“Hate speech, harmful racial stereotyping, and the public degradation of any group in our society cannot be tolerated.”
This incident mirrors recent legal action against the Podcast and Chill show, where hosts MacGyver “MacG” Mukwevho and Sol Phenduka were sued by TV personality Minnie Dlamini. She filed a R2.5 million lawsuit in the Equality Court after the hosts speculated about her personal hygiene, which she says damaged her dignity.