Ndebele rights activist Thando Mahlangu says he wants the manager who was suspended from Boulders shopping centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, to be reinstated to his position.
“If he apologised last week, I would not have forgiven him because he humiliated me. But after speaking and consulting with my mother and other traditional activists I have decided to forgive him,” said Mahlangu.
Mahlangu was speaking at a hearing held by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities on the incident at the mall where he was humiliated for wearing his traditional Ndebele attire.
The mall manager referred to himself as the mall owner when he confronted Mahlangu and asked him to leave the mall. The video, which was filmed by his business partner Nqobile Masuku, went viral on social media.
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“I am not happy they suspended him. I think he needs to be part of the courses that are taking place right now. I want to meet him and understand him. He must get his job back,” Mahlangu said.
He said the black-on-black hate or prejudice needed to be interrogated. “When he [the manager] approached me, I thought he was joking because he is black. We have a huge problem in SA. We need to be taught about our cultures and languages,” he said.
Boulders Mall management, who were also set to appear at the commission, sent a letter saying that the hearing had come at short notice but hey are open to being part of the process.
Chair of the CRL Rights Commission Prof David Mosoma said a report will be written with recommendations on how to prevent incidents such as these from happening again. He said he was concerned that other black people did not step in to defend Mahlangu's rights.
“Why is it that they would not see themselves in you? It is a colonial mind, a mind that has been distorted ... It is this that needs to be educated,” said Mosoma.
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