'Open Chats Podcast' Apologises After Massive Backlash Over Offensive Remarks About Coloured People

• South Africans united in calling out the Open Chats Podcast host over their remarks about the Coloured community
• The hosts made derogatory remarks about the racial group, angering many people who called for them to be held accountable
• They have since issued statements addressing the issue, and they have apologised for the sensitive remarks

Open Chats Podcast hosts have issued two separate statements addressing the backlash they received online. One statement was published on their behalf by their attorneys, and the other was from the team directly.

Two weeks ago, the team made offensive statements about the Coloured community.

In the first apology statement, their lawyers admitted that the statements made were "unfortunate, reckless and unAfrican." This, according to their admission, violated Section 9 of the Constitution of South Africa.

"Our Clients hereby deeply apologise for the pain and hurt that they have caused to the Coloured Community of South Africa. Our Clients acknowledge unreservedly that the utterances made were inappropriate, sexist, racist, unfortunate, irresponsible, reckless, reminiscent of Apartheid and unAfrican (contrary to the Spirit of Ubuntu), which were also tantamount to hate speech."

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The team has removed the episode from their platform; however acknowledged that some content from the episode will still be distributed online.

In another statement, the young hosts stated that they meant no harm towards the community, saying they take full responsibility for their actions.

"The intention was never to cause harm or disrespect the Coloured community. Open Chats is a platform centred around open conversations, which at times touch on sensitive topics, and with that said, we do understand that as a platform, we should conduct our conversations respectfully.

"We would like to clarify that Open Chats Podcast does not promote or support racism or discrimination. As seen in previous episodes, we have had a wide range of guests on the show, including our Coloured community in numerous episodes."

Netizens react to Open Chat's apology

Mzansi is outraged, along with the Coloured community. However, there are a few people who have defended the presenters.

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@SlateSlova slammed:

"This boy, Mtho, is forward. It's been a minute, his chasing clout like crazy, but this time he messed up. I wish the coloureds can deal with him."

@moreki_mo shared:

"Black people frequently get away with behaviour that many would deem unacceptable, including racism and hate speech. The notion that "black people can't be racists" is simply false. The #coloured community must confront this issue and take action."

@FrankTa98121087 warned:

"They are about to wake up to the reality that saying diabolical stuff behind your phone screen is different to saying it in person. All these 'I stand with Open Chats Podcast' chest thumpings won't count for nothing in court. I have my popcorn ready."

@Milanoio9 remarked:

"A mindset often fuelled by a lack of social awareness and education, especially after achieving even a small measure of success in life, which tends to breed arrogance rather than unity."

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Meanwhile, some people are in support of Open Chats hosts:

@ZizinjaAbelungu argued:

"The Courts will reject that thing; there is no case there. Calling someone crazy cannot be constituted as being racist."

@thekelo_Teekay rallied:

"We stand with Open Chat Podcast in these difficult times. Operators let’s support Mtho and Sino. This is our brothers, and they’ve apologised."

@Sthe_Mdunyelwa exclaimed:

"We must defend the Open Chats podcast. We do not support what they said. The same we will not support the cancellation of the podcast!"

Did Gayton McKenzie sue Open Chats Podcast?

The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture in South Africa, Gayton McKenzie, said he was not letting the disrespect from the Open Chats Podcast towards the Coloured community slide.

He took to social media to reveal that he was taking legal action against the podcast. Minister McKenzie said:

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"We must never allow people to become that comfortable. I want a report today of how we’re going to deal with those people who said coloureds are crazy."

Political parties slam Open Chats Podcast

In a previous report from Briefly News, two South African political parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Patriotic Alliance, have taken action against the Open Chats Podcast.

This came after the podcast went viral for its racist comments against Coloured people. There have been growing calls for the podcasters to be held accountable

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News