Hannington Kuteesa hit Lerato Sengadi after a row inside the Big Brother house in Johannesburg on Tuesday. According to the BBC, Ms Sengadi's family is planning a protest to demand his removal.

Activists said the show's actions may perpetuate the belief that African men have the right to hit women.

TV company M-Net has reportedly defended its decision not to remove Kuteesa, from Uganda, saying it is trying to act in the interests of all the housemates.  As his punishment Big Brother ordered him to apologise to South Africa's Ms Sengadi during one of their recordings.

But angry viewers have continued to flood the show's website with messages condemning Kuteesa. This is the fifth version of Big Brother Africa, which began with 14 contestants from different countries.

It is broadcast across the continent on satellite TV, and some terrestrial channels, and is one of the continent's most popular reality TV programmes.

In some countries, politicians and church leaders have called for previous editions be taken off air, saying it is immoral, pointing in particular to naked shower scenes.