International broadcaster SuperSport are investigating the incident which saw former South Africa rugby player Ashwin Willemse leave the set during a Super Rugby studio show on Saturday.
Willemse, who played 19 Tests for the Springboks, was an analyst in studio during the Lions vs Brumbies match, and walked off the live broadcast after accusing co-hosts Nick Mallett and Naas Botha of 'patronising' him.
He also referred to the 'quota' system, which requires sporting bodies to include a set number of players of colour in their national teams, and has been used as an insult to those players by implying they have not earned their places on merit.
The 2007 World Cup-winner said, in reaction to unknown events off air: "I've been in the game for a long time like most of us here. As a player, I've been called a quota [player] for a long time and I've worked very hard to earn the respect I have now.
"I'm not going to sit here and be patronised by these two individuals [Mallett and Botha] who played their rugby during the apartheid era, a segregated era."
Mallett, a former Springboks coach, played for the Boks in 1984, while former flyhalf Botha played 28 Tests between 1980 and 1992. South Africa's first democratic elections post-apartheid were held in 1994.
SuperSport released a statement on Monday morning, saying they were investigating the matter, and that alleged 'prejudice of any sort' would 'not be tolerated'.
"A preliminary investigation is underway and will include senior management meeting with all the presenters [Ashwin Willemse, Nick Mallett, Naas Botha and Motshidisi Mohono] and the production staff in Johannesburg on Monday."
On the weekend, the South African minister for Sport and Recreation weighed in on the matter, and called for Mallett's and Botha's dismissals.
Minister Thokozile Xasa said in a statement: "It is clear that Ashwin Willemse was referred as a quota player by his fellow panelists despite his many successes in the field of play, I call upon SuperSport to suspend the two panelists while they are busy with full investigation.
"The continued appearance of Mallet and Botha will be seen as an endorsement of their alleged racist behavior."
The Broadcaster addressed the allegations in their statement, saying: "SuperSport acknowledges the comments from the Ministry of Sport and Recreation and will engage with Minister of Sport and Recreation Thokozile Xasa's office in this regard."
The incident made several front pages nationally on Sunday, and was a major talking point on social media, which prompted SA Rugby, the sport's ruling body, to release a statement on Monday.
SA Rugby said: "We were as surprised and concerned as the rest of the rugby community by Saturday evening's incident on SuperSport.
"It would not be fair to make snap judgements. However, something was clearly amiss and it reflected poorly on rugby. This is a SuperSport matter and we have asked to be kept informed on the process of the investigation."
Calvo Mawela, CEO of Multichoice SA, the parent company of SuperSport, added: "SuperSport has taken note of the strong public sentiment and we take this matter seriously. Whatever the findings, appropriate action will be taken to remedy the situation."