Durban-based comedian and independent candidate Thanasagren Moodley. Picture: Social Media
Thanasagren Moodley, well-known Durban comedian popularly known as “Karou Charou”, is accused of being a ‘racist’ who refers to black people as “30 percenters” on social media.
Last week, the comedian confirmed that he had entered politics ahead of the May 29 elections as KwaZulu-Natal’s only independent political candidate.
But those who have interacted with Moodley, tell of an alleged “racist” comedian who has been legally challenged for his race-driven comedy through the courts.
A source close to the situation told ‘The Star’ of numerous incidents of racial profiling; of Moodley defending those allegedly involved in the so-called Phoenix massacre during the 2021 riots in KZN and raising bail money for those charged for the killings.
The source revealed that the comedian was even courted by Build One SA (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane, who upon realising his true character, reneged on recruiting him to be part of BOSA’s team of leaders in the province.
BOSA spokesperson, Roger Solomons, said Moodley was keen to join the party but it could not accept him due to his sketchy past.
“He (Moodley) attended a few events and showed interest in joining. Once due diligence was done and serious allegations against him were discovered, we decided against working with him. He has never been part of any BOSA structure,” said Solomons.
The Star has seen a court document lodged by Kehla Magwegwe, who accused the comedian of calling black South Africans “30 percenters” in a 2022 matter.
Mgwengwe argued for the comedian to be sanctioned for racism and race-based comedy content.
“There are numerous videos of Karou Charau calling black people ‘30 percenters’, swearing (at) us, (using) derogatory words and other shocking and racist content,” Magwegwe complained.
Magwegwe further alleged that the comedian’s Facebook page was taken down due to his offensive content.
In a video that ‘The Star’ has also seen, the comedian’s former guru, Shammi Singh (Acharya Shyman Ramunuj) accuses him of making himself the leader of the Indian community.
“Karou Charau is always presenting himself as the leader of the South African Indians on his own show by himself. He proclaims himself as the leader of the Indian community. If you continuously endorse yourself as a leader but you do not have tangible community following on the ground but you have a huge social media following, are you a community leader?” Singh questioned.
During a recent interview on the SABC, the comedian said he was the most influential Indian South African, which was why he wanted to use his voice to fight for issues affecting the Indian community.
In 2021, IOL reported that the comedian was a leader of a Facebook group called “Justice for Phoenix” tasked with raising funds for arrested members of the community.
In his defence, Moodley stated that the reason he had fund-raised for the group charged in connection with the “Phoenix Massacre” was to ensure that everyone got a fair trial, and avoid having innocent people being jailed.
When ‘The Star’ contacted the comedian on Tuesday, he promised to respond to our emailed questions by Wednesday after sending a series of WhatsApp messages, saying his accusers were merely trying to derail his campaign, adding that some of them were his “stalkers.
“These are all allegations and serious allegations against me. I am sure that you have been contacted by certain individuals who seek to derail my campaign. The racist narrative is directed to move you as an African and it seems to be working.
”You want to write a story based on allegations because it suits sensational (sic) isn’t journalism. If you wish to write a proper non jaundiced peace (sic).Then you need to research me and interview me,” he said on WhatsApp.
The Star
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