Gillian Schutte Recalls Being Forced off X After Outing a Racist Judge in 2016
- Filmmaker and journalist Gillian Schutte revealed that she was driven off X in 2016 after she exposed a racist judge
- Schutte shared a screenshot of a vile post directed at her husband and son, which reinforced the hate her family had experienced over the years
- The activist also opened up about her experiences with both right-wing and liberal opposition over the past two decades, leaving followers completely shaken
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Source: Twitter
South African filmmaker and journalist Gillian Schutte has spoken out about the racism she and her family endured, revealing that a torrent of hate speech and death threats once drove her entirely off social media. She made the revelations on 3 August 2026, lifting the lid on an ordeal that began a decade ago.
Schutte shared that in 2016, after she publicly called out a racist judge, the backlash she received was so severe that staying on the platform became untenable.
"I was forced off Twitter in 2016 after I outed a racist judge because of the sheer volume of hate speech and death threats focused at me and my husband @SiphoSingiswa and our son Kai Singiswa."
Gillian Schutte exposes racist post
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To illustrate the nature of the abuse, Schutte shared a screenshot of a post directed at her family. The message referred to her husband, political analyst and filmmaker Sipho Singiswa, as a "pavement ape" and described their son Kai as a "mongrel." The post read:
"Here is Gillian Schutte & her pavement ape with their mongrel. She wrote this article."
A photograph of the family was attached to the hateful message.
Source: Twitter
Schutte is the founder of The Counterhegemon, an independent news and analysis platform. She and her husband also directed the 2004 documentary Umgidi, which explored traditional Xhosa male initiation and the tensions between modern life and ancient custom.
Beyond recounting the right-wing abuse, she also turned her attention to what she described as institutional damage inflicted by liberals.
"The right wing are gruesome, but when I critiqued liberals 22 years back, and I still do, they set about destroying our lives institutionally. Liberals are just as gruesome as the far right, but harder to spot."
See Gillian Schutte's post here.
Mzansi rallies behind Gillian Schutte
Her post drew widespread support from followers and public figures alike.
Actor and social commentator Tumisho Masha offered encouragement, saying:
"Never let them take away your peace or your fight!"
LadyCharlotte01 was repulsed:
"This is disgusting."
mehmoodahmed111 noted:
"Liberals are more dangerous because they are hypocrites."
MiMiIsKing recalled:
"I remember you. You had a documentary about your relationship aired on TV. I remember your husband telling your son that mommy's people are bad, and you didn't like that, lol."
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In an earlier report, Briefly News shared Zola Hashatsi's heartfelt tribute to his late co-star and friend Dumi Masilela.
He revealed how he stood beside Masilela's family through the ordeal following his death until they finally received justice.
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Source: Briefly News
