WATCH: Chatsworth TikTok content creator challenged over 'Podcast with Para's' series

CHATSWORTH community leader Daryl Naidu has publicly challenged TikTok content creator Wade Gounden over his 'Podcast with Para's' series, claiming it exploited vulnerable individuals for views.

While Gounden defends his work as humanising and consensual, community activists are calling for changes to the controversial format that pays underprivileged participants.

The series, which features Gounden interviewing vagrants and individuals from underprivileged backgrounds while offering them payment, has drawn mixed reaction from the community.

Naidu has strongly condemned both the concept and its execution.

“I do not know Wade personally, so this is not an attack on him, this anger comes from a place of being a community leader in Chatsworth.

“I know one of the vagrants, named David who features in one of his videos. I take David out for meals when I see him and talk to him about life, while trying to help him. So to see him treated as content was upsetting,” said Naidu.

He said he believed the power imbalance between content creators and financially desperate individuals raised ethical concerns.

“Many of the vagrants are down and out so they will do anything for R100, which they will never be able to earn in a day. I also hate that word ‘Para’, it is so degrading. He labelled David in the video and now he has a stigma attached to him.”

Naidu further criticised the tone of the interviews and the manner in which they were conducted.

“We try to help people. Wade could have done it in a better way. The manner in which he did the video was wrong. Influencers are sometimes distasteful. He could have interviewed him like a normal person would have,” he said. 

“He also asked silly questions, like about his favourite movie. David does not even have a TV let alone food to eat. He also sat very far away from David as if he was dangerous or contagious.”

According to Naidu, the issue goes beyond a single video. He said he had rallied other community leaders to request a meeting with Gounden in hopes of addressing their concerns constructively.

“I took this issue public for awareness. He was not sincere in his follow-up video where he spoke out about the backlash he received. So I decided to rally other Chatsworth community leaders to have a meeting with Wade. We want him to understand where we are coming from. We do not want to attack him.

“We want to try and keep our community safe, not everything is for likes and views. I would like for him to post an apology video. He should be using his platform for positivity instead of degrading people. He paid people and stripped them of their dignity by making fun of them but justifying it by saying they had consented to the video. It is sad,” Naidu said.

Gounden, a well-known TikTok content creator and athlete, defended the series, and said the intention was to humanise people from all walks of life.

“Our team at The Media Dojo wanted to do a talk show where we interview people from different backgrounds and get answers to some questions that are not often always asked. As for the name, it just sounded catchy so we rolled with it,” Gounden said. 

He rejected claims that the show specifically targeted vagrants.

“We did not really choose beggars as the main guest type, but rather wanted to have conversations from those who come from underprivileged backgrounds so that they could share some of their stories about what life has been like for them and to show that just like us they are humans too,” he said.

Gounden said the guests were approached beforehand and gave their recorded consent prior to filming.

“Before we conduct the interviews the guests are told the name of our show and we explain to them the manner of questions we will be asking, then before we start we receive on record permission from them to both record and post the content we get,” he said.

He added that the show also incorporated a dance challenge element.

“They have to dance against me in order to win. I quite enjoy dancing and we often first ask possible participants if they do too. Challengers are also asked to pick their own songs should they accept,” Gounden said.

According to Gounden, the team did not anticipate the level of backlash the series has received.

“We have not had any complaints from anyone who we interviewed before so we see no reason why more guests will not appear on the show. One guest told us it is the first time anyone had ever recorded him speaking and was low-key excited about the experience.

“We did not really anticipate such a response, the threats are often a by-product of working in this industry. We do feel people have misinterpreted the aim of the show and are focusing on things hardly relevant to the content itself, often picking and choosing the parts they want to take away from,” he said.

Gounden maintained that the project was rooted in fostering dialogue rather than exploitation.

“We are not really defending ourselves. What is wrong with having conversations with consenting adults?” he asked.

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