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South Africa’s ‘wild west’ WhatsApp groups fuel racism, surveillance

South Africa’s ‘wild west’ WhatsApp groups fuel racism, surveillance

KIM HARRISBERG WHEN South African content manager Happiness Kisten chased her family's escaped puppy up the road in the early hours of the morning in her Durban suburb, she did not realise she was being watched. But when Kisten, a Black South African adopted by Indian parents, arrived home puppy in tow, her mother showed her a message on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group that warned residents about a Black woman seen running after a dog. "At first I laughed, but afterwards I was like, that's very problematic. It left me with an ugly feeling in my gut," said Kisten, 29,…
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