WATCH: Comedian’s video making fun of white beggar backfires

South Africans say he should have picked a better subject for his act.

South Africans united on social media against a video of comedian Matewu Bhoza making fun of a beggar in Mpumalanga. The video, posted on his YouTube channel in November last year, was recently reposted on Twitter and left South Africans enraged about the “inhumane” treatment of the beggar.

In the video, the comedian and his friend can be seen sitting on a bench, with the beggar in the middle, as they recount the bad treatment of white South Africans towards black people during apartheid.

They talk about how good their pies are, though not giving any to a seemingly hungry beggar.

Matewu’s friend asks: “Did you notice that in the old days when white people used to eat burgers, we used to fear them to an extent that we would offer them serviettes to wipe their mouths?”

Matewu responds: “Here’s a white man who has no respect. We’re eating and he’s staring at us. In the old days, we never starred at them when they ate burgers, because they would say, ‘hey, you ka**ir’. Even if this white man stares at us, we won’t give him the burger,” to which his friend responds: “This is what we were taught by them.”

The video left many angry, arguing that their treatment of the beggar was wrong and lacked Ubuntu.

“Simply disgusting, that when many fight for the rights of our people, for them to be treated humanely. Others think we fight for them to simply switch roles with whites to become scum that lacks Ubuntu. This is unAfrikan and shows a deep sense of self-hatred. That’s a human being,” argued @siyand26, while @SbusisoMashaba wrote: “Absolutely horrible. This is not even close to being funny. Too much stupidity cruelty is portrayed here. Only wild animals will do this. These fools should be shunned upon completely. They are devils. Even the worse racists would never do this. Horrible beings.”

However, there were those who defended the comedian and his friend and said it was time white people got a taste of their own medicine.

@MalumeSibiya argued: “Where I’m from, white guys never share with their employees. They pay their employees salaries less than their 4×4 tires, why would we share with those who lack from their communities?” while @WillibardNAngula wrote: “The guy in the middle: Wrong time, Wrong place. These [gentlemen] are just enjoying their meal and he doesn’t even ask. We ask and email our bosses for increments, free education, equal pay and apply for jobs that are taken already by some. Ask and it shall be given.”

In defence of his video, Bhoza said he had been friends with the man for a long time and that he asked for permission to shoot the video with him.

“We were just joking around,” he said, though his explanation still did not satisfy some on social media.

His original tweet seems to have been deleted, but see a screenshot below: