DA reports Open Chats podcasters to SAHRC for offensive episode on coloureds

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it had reported the Open Chats podcasters to the SA Human Rights Commission for an episode it said was offensive and amounted to race-baiting.

In a discussion on the popular podcast, which has over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube, the hosts discussed the coloured community, with one describing coloured people as crazy and saying they engage in incest.

While Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, Gayton McKenzie said he was taking legal advice to sue the podcasters, the DA's federal chairperson, Ivan Meyer, said that the matter had already been reported to the SAHRC for what it said was the abhorrent stereotyping of coloured people.

"This vile content degrades the dignity of coloured people for cheap social media online clicks. Free speech ends where it violates the rights of others. The DA will always stand up against hate speech and defend the constitutional values of dignity, respect and non-racialism."

The Open Chats podcast apologised for the offence caused soon after the discussion went viral on social media and the discussion has since been removed from the episode.

But the DA said that an apology did not erase the harm caused nor absolve the perpetrators from accountability.