Racial attack on Devi Sankaree Govender

AWARD-WINNING investigative journalist Devi Sankaree Govender has become the target of racial slurs following an exposé on her television show.

The incident has reignited discussions about racism in South Africa, with experts noting that such attacks reflect deeply entrenched issues still prevalent more than three decades into democracy.

Sankaree Govender has firmly responded that she's a "5th generation South African" and is “staying right here, where I belong”.

In a recent Facebook post, she shared screenshots in which derogatory comments were made by two users. 

In the first comment, Matthys Oosthuizen, said: “F**k off to india hindu”.

A second person, Kyle Van der Watt, commented: “Why you playing with the afrikaaners. This k**ie”. 

In her online post, Sankaree Govender said the racial slurs broke her heart. 

“Something needs to be said about the abuse I am experiencing on social media. I don't get to choose the colour of our crooks - so insisting that I am anti-White or anti-Afrikaans is ludicrous,” she wrote.

She said the scammers, who featured on the show, came from all race groups.

“I have never received this kind of hate from the Black, Coloured or Indian communities when somebody from their ethnic group is featured.

“The work that #TheDeviShow takes on, every day, is both dangerous and exhausting but we are a kick-ass team who pitch up every day, trying to make our country a better place. My question to the #dumbasses - what is your contribution besides shooting the messenger?”

At the end of her post, Sankaree Govender commented: “PS. I am 5th generation South African. I'm staying right here, where I belong.”

Reaction

Neeshan Balton, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, said: “While it is concerning, but not surprising, that more than three decades into democracy people are still resorting to derogatory racial terms and telling South Africans of Indian descent to ‘go back to India’.” 

He said these remarks were not just offensive, but reflected a denial of belonging to people who are fully South African. 

“Communities of Indian descent have been part of the fabric of South Africa for generations, contributing significantly to the struggle against apartheid and to the building of our democracy. These words are a continuation of apartheid and colonial-era attempts to stigmatise, exclude, and ‘other’ communities who have long been part of this country’s fabric.

“They undermine the values of dignity, equality, and unity that our democracy is built upon and meant to uphold. The call for Indians to ‘go back to India’ was one made by various white governments since 1860 and did not succeed then nor will it succeed today,” he said. 

Balton said the comments made were racist.

“Terms like “c***ie” were historically used to degrade South Africans of Indian descent, and their continued use today reflects how deeply rooted racism remains in our society. It not only manifests in overt slurs, but also in systemic inequalities, discriminatory practices, and enduring stereotypes across many sectors of society. 

“To address it, we must act on multiple fronts. Addressing it requires education about our history, stronger accountability for racist behaviour, consistent public condemnation of such language, and a commitment to fostering dialogue and solidarity across communities. Leadership at every level - political, social, and cultural - must reinforce that racism has no place in South Africa. Building an inclusive society where every person feels they belong is essential if we are to honour the sacrifices of those who fought for our democracy,” he said. 

Kiru Naidoo, founder of the Indian Diaspora Research Academy, said: “Seems like these chaps have not learned from Penny Sparrow or Justine Sacco that racist fantasy can ruin one's life and career. Thankfully for the keyboard warriors, they are meeting Devi online and not in a dark alley. She can handle herself without help from anybody. 

“But let us support her crusade to hold both the powerful and the stupid accountable. Let's make an example of the racist trolls by dragging them to the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Court.”

Coral Vinsen, an activist and patron of the Active Citizens Movement, said she believed that people should unite in the fight against racism in all its manifestations, including never making racist comments against any particular group or individual. 

“The original indigenous people of our country were the Koi- San. The rest of us came here as colonists, indentured labourers, slaves and immigrants looking to build a better life.

“So let us come together to commit to building a truly non-racial South Africa; standing together to celebrate our diversity and the unique contribution of all who live here, and pledge to oppose all racist targeting,” she said. 

Dr Lubna Nadvi, a political analyst, said race and racism were still deeply entrenched in South African society. 

“It appears as if it is still a challenge for some to see fellow citizens as just South Africans and not as black, white, Indian, or coloured. The practice of  ‘othering’ people one doesn't like or disagree with seems to still take its inspiration from apartheid era practices where white people could use the existing laws to disrespect people of colour.  

“Devi has fallen victim to a situation where people she tried to hold accountable for their actions tried to diminish and devalue her actions by referring to her racial identity as if being of Indian origin somehow disqualifies one from doing the kind of work she is doing,” she said. 

Nadvi added that this kind of behaviour and language was unacceptable in contemporary South Africa. 

“It also has no place in the kind of society we are trying to build. Our current laws would consider the language being used in these comments directed at Devi as racism and hate speech. Those individuals should actually be prosecuted for uttering such vile and unacceptable comments,” she said.

Dr Sheetal Bhoola, a researcher and lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, and a columnist, said racist comments are not always related to racial hatred, discrimination and prejudice. 

“I think in many cases people have numerous grievances. We are post-30 years into democracy, and from a socio-economical perspective, we have not fared or grown in the direction that South Africa should have. Unemployment is deepening and worsening, inflation is increasing, and people are genuinely suffering. The general discontent of people’s economic stances makes one look at the inequality among the haves and haves not. 

“You can see there are certain upper-classes in our society that have become richer over the last couple of decades, whether it is through honest means or through contracts, tenders, corruption, embezzlement, among other forms of wealth creation. 

“However, I do believe that there is a larger image out there that the Indian community will always be affluent, and that is far from the reality. Even though we constitute approximately 3% of the country’s population, the majority are working-class and poor people. So the rags-to-riches story of an Indian businessman is not every Indian's story. 

“I believe the inequality factors, which have historically been associated with race, contributes to the way Indians are perceived in society because in the past they were favoured over the African indigenous communities. 

“Furthermore, apartheid has socialised us into thinking and believing that class, equality and race are assimilated with one another, and often categorised together. As much as there is racism in the country, I think a lot of it is built on the past learned conceptions and pre-conceptions of every race group in terms of the accumulation of wealth and access to resources,” she said.  

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