DURBAN - FORMER Mr India SA Tevin Naidu has apologised for the upset he caused with his comments on social media this week, saying he’s only human and truly sorry.
Naidu, an intern doctor with the KZN Department of Health and a recent Survivor SA contestant, used molestation as an analogy to describe how he was looking at a woman on an Instagram picture.
Commenting on his modelling pose in a wedding picture, he wrote: “Find yourself someone who looks at you the way I look at her (like a molester who found his next victim).”
Screenshots of his comment surfaced on social media, angering many.
The backlash resulted in Naidu making his Instagram account private. He also later edited his comment and issued an apology on his Instagram page.
But social media users were having none of it and continued to criticise him.
Through his lawyer, Edward Abraham, of Pather and Pather Attorneys, Naidu said he did not condone molestation.
“Tevin is a young man who unfortunately acted without fully appreciating at the time the effect that his social media post would have. The unfortunate reality is that with social media there is no reprieve from the backlash received once you post something that is controversial,” said Abraham.
Abraham said his client had to learn this the difficult way.
“Everyone must be reminded that Tevin is first and foremost a young man and a medical doctor whose passion is not to add celebrity to his title but to complete his internship and thereafter go on to practise as a medical doctor and help people in need.”
He said as humans, people were susceptible to the odd error in judgment from time to time.
“I ask that the public take this into account before passing judgment on this young man,” said Abraham.
He said Naidu had apologised and intended moving forward with his life now by putting the issue behind him.
“Tevin will also be meeting his employers to express his apologies and regret for any inconvenience he caused the Department of Health and the King Edward VIII Hospital,” said Abraham.
The backlash resulted in him being pulled off a marketing campaign for M-Net’s new reality dating show, The Bachelor South Africa.
M-Net spokesperson Lani Lombard said the pay channel did not condone abuse and that Naidu, who was also a TV presenter, would no longer be part of their marketing campaign.
“M-Net does not condone any type of abuse, or references to it, in any context and viewed Tevin Naidu’s offensive Instagram comment in a serious light.
“Tevin was part of the initial marketing activities to recruit female contestants for the new dating show The Bachelor South Africa, but will not be involved in the remainder of the campaign,” said Lombard.
His current employer, the KZN Department of Health said the matter was being dealt with internally by management of the King Edward VIII Hospital.
Department spokesperson Ncumisa Mafunda said: “The department wishes to condemn in the strongest terms a social media post attributed to one of its intern doctors. The department urges all its employees to familiarise themselves with social media guidelines for personal use on social media, as set out by the Government Communications and Information Systems.”
Mafunda said all government employees should always think before they post.“Government employees should remember that even if they act or speak in a personal capacity, their position as a government employee may be misunderstood or misrepresented as an official position,” said Mafunda.