'Go Away, Meghan': Duchess of Sussex Slammed Over Heater Incident During South Africa Visit

In podcast earlier this week, Meghan Markle underscored that even though she was upset about the incident with a defective heater in her son Archie's room when she was on tour in South Africa, the Duchess of Sussex felt that she was obliged to continue with official engagements there.

South African netizens have reacted angrily to Meghan Markle’s recent revelations about an apparent fire that broke out in the nursery where her son Archie was staying during the Sussexes’ tour of South Africa in 2019.

Markle told tennis star Serena Williams in her new podcast that although the then four-months-old Archie was not in the room in Cape Town when a heater began to smoke, the incident left the Duchess of Sussex “shaken” and “in tears”.

Most South Africans, however, declined to sympathize with the royal, posting critical remarks and trending #VoetsekMeghan, an offensive term meaning “go away”, on Twitter.

#VoetsekMeghan The 'housing unit' in question. pic.twitter.com/NC3CiyTf8N

— EverythingKDrama (@DMforBadAdvice) August 26, 2022

The Royal Family is vindicated everytime from the false accusations the Suesex threw at them. It is not them who are Racist, it is meghan and harry who despise & use Africans. Its not them who did not do enough, It is meghan who is entitled and never satisfied. #VoetsekMeghan 👋🏾 pic.twitter.com/XfQJVv7Wpx

— Canellecitadelle (@Canellelabelle) August 26, 2022

WOW, #Meghan has the power to take a non-event from how many years ago, say one sentence on it, and turn it into a WORLDWIDE talking point almost overnight.

Now THAT is power.

Unfortunately for Meghan, the worldwide talking point she single-handedly created was: #VoetsekMeghan

— Poor Isolated Harry (@poor_harry) August 27, 2022

Meghan Markle doesn't care how she portrays South Africa, she must never step foot here ever again.#VoetsekMeghan pic.twitter.com/c8OLKkZepe

— Lulama Anderson🇿🇦 (@LulamaAnderson) August 26, 2022

I don't care abt the fire incident but the statement: coming to South Africa was the bravest thing she has done. Speaks volumes. As if she was coming to some apocalypse state or something. She should elaborate on wt was brave about it, is it because is in Africa?#VoetsekMeghan

— Karen_The_Afrikaaner (@sanah2_0) August 26, 2022

As a South African living in the UK I have unique view of exactly how much #meghanmarkle is disliked. The UK hates her. And now South Africa hates her too. Its incredible how one person can piss off entire countries but she's done it. Tsek wena.#VoetsekMeghanMarkle #VoetsekMeghan

— Rewind (@Square_eyesOo) August 27, 2022

“Meghan Markle doesn't care how she portrays South Africa, she must never step foot here ever again,” one user tweeted.

Another argued that “As a South African living in the UK I have unique view of exactly how much Meghan Markle is disliked.” According to the netizen, “The UK hates her. And now South Africa hates her too. It’s incredible how one person can piss off entire countries but she's done it.”

One more user wrote that she “doesn’t care about the fire incident but the statement: coming to South Africa was the bravest thing she has done,” adding that it “Speaks volumes. As if she was coming to some apocalypse state or something. She should elaborate on what was brave about it, is it because it is in Africa?”

UK media cited unnamed sources as defending the Duchess of Sussex over the incident, which they said would have understandably caused concern to any parent. The Sussexes were subsequently moved to different accommodation as their tour of South Africa continued.

The couple left the UK in March 2020 to relocate to the United States, where they decided to start a "simple life" in a posh mansion with their son Archie, who was joined by his sister Lilibet "Lili" Diana in June 2021. The move outraged Brits, with critics accusing the couple of greed and abandoning the family.