anti-vaxxer radio 786 kouthar davids

Photo: Twitter

SA radio station distances itself from ‘anti-vaxxer’ presenter

This weekend, Kouthar Davids said she didn’t believe in COVID, despite being hospitalised by it – and it’s made things awkward with one station

anti-vaxxer radio 786 kouthar davids

Photo: Twitter

Kouthar Davids made a meme of herself over the weekend, after she gave a now-infamous interview regarding her anti-vaxxer views. The jab cynic, who has sporadically featured and hosted shows on Radio 786 before, told a reporter that she ‘did not believe in COVID-19’ – only to then admit she was hospitalised with the virus earlier this year.

Who is Kouthar Davids? The ‘Radio 786 anti-vaxxer’

The foolhardy flip-flopping went viral, forcing Davids to clarify her position. The unashamed anti-vaxxer says she acknowledges the threat of coronavirus, but does not believe that the vaccines work against the disease. It’s her against 99.9% of the scientific community on this matter, just for the record…

Her contentious claims – and bizarre way of framing them – has drawn ire online, and some people who saw the interview on social media directed their frustrations towards Radio 786.

Station aims to separate itself from unwitting viral star

Put out by the fact they’ve been ‘dragged into the debate’, Radio 786 says that Kouthar Davids is not a ‘regular fixture’ at the station, distancing themselves from the furore surrounding the vaccine-sceptic.

“Radio 786 has noted with interest some of the comments made on social media, regarding the anti-vaxxer protest outside of Groote Schuurr Hospital in Cape Town. We are even more astonished by the people who tried to drag us into it. Our standards are decided by a carefully considered code premised on truth and accuracy.”

“Kouthar Davids does not have a show on Radio 786, nor does she feature on regularly on our programmes. We are a leading African broadcaster that covers news often ignored by others. This includes difficult and controversial subjects – but we remain committed to sharing a fair spread of information, reflecting the realities of the world we live in.”