Afrikaans soapie 7de laan has defended its decision to include an interracial kiss in the current storyline, explaining that creators wanted to show an authentic South African experience and that love is colourblind.
The kiss, between actress Carina Nel and Nicholas Nkuna sparked racist comments from some fans on the show who thought it was "pathetic" and inappropriate. Others defended the romance, which resulted in a fierce debate.
The show's head writer Hanli Rolfes told TshisaLIVE she would not bow to pressure from critics or those threatening to boycott the show after the kiss.
"We live in a real South Africa where loads of people have interracial relationships. 7de Laan is focussed on putting the real South Africa on TV. It is our responsibility to show that art imitates life."
She said that it was her role as a writer to educate those who were uncomfortable with interracial relationships
"For those people who are still uncomfortable with (or have never been confronted with) interracial relationships 7de Laan makes it accessible and shows the normality of the fact that love knows no age, gender or race. And ultimately, when true love happens and prevails our hearts sing and no-one can help but smile with joy – it is beautiful!"
The show's creators also issued a statement on social media calling for calm and the end of hate speech.