A disabled granny fell out of her wheelchair in a KFC restaurant after staff allegedly refused to give her access to the wheelchair ramp.
Alicia Msutu’s nephew tried to push her wheelchair up a step inside the KFC St George’s Mall branch when his hands slipped and he lost control.
The 70-year-old woman spilled out of the chair and injured her amputated leg.
The Khayelitsha family is outraged after KFC staff allegedly failed to come to her aid, leaving her lying on the floor for 20 minutes while her shocked relatives tried to put her back in the chair.
Alicia’s daughter, Bongi Msutu, 47, says they went to KFC to have lunch just after 3pm on Tuesday.
She says the door to the wheelchair ramp was locked and they asked staff members to open it.
However, they were allegedly told to make use of the “normal” entrance, and although they were unhappy about this, they complied.
Bongi says: “We made use of the stairs and helped my handicapped mother down the stairs, we bought our food and ate.”
She says the incident happened when they left the restaurant.
“Mzonke [the nephew] tried to push the wheelchair up a stair, but he lost control of the wheelchair and she fell out of it,” says Bongi.
“The staff just looked on and didn’t offer any help. My mother was lying on the floor for 20 minutes, not wanting anyone to touch her because she was in so much pain. She fell hard, and she said afterwards her bones pained inside the amputated leg.”
Alicia lost her leg after her foot became infected in 2009.
The widow is also still in mourning after her 85-year-old husband Silumko passed away two weeks ago due to chronic illness.
The family’s demanding a public apology from KFC and also wants the company to pay for Alicia’s hospital costs.
Gail Sham, Corporate Communications Manager KFC Africa, says the allegations are being investigated.
“KFC is conducting a full investigation into this isolated matter at St George’s Mall in Cape Town and we have immediately been in contact with the family to resolve this matter and offer our sincerest apologies for their experience at our restaurant,” she says.