*WARNING: Video contains foul language.
A former restaurant manager claims his food was taken out of his mouth by a racist boss.
Richard van der Westhuizen, 54, says his general manager, Johan Viljoen, had called him a “meit n**ier” ever since he found out he was married to a coloured Muslim woman.
“I started working at Ocean Basket at the V&A Waterfront on the 2nd of February and up until the 7th, everything was going well up until the manager asked me if I am married and I told him that I am divorced,” he explains.
“He asked who I was married to and I said her name is Gadieja and he asked if I had children with her. I said yes, I have four children with her.
“He said: “Sies! Jy behoort te skaam, jy’s ‘n f***en wit man wat ‘n f***en meit getrou het, nou het jy vier bastardjies wat rond loop.”
He says he called Johan out on his racism.
“I said ‘excuse me, you don’t make any derogatory comment about my family or how I live my life’,” says an angry Richard.
“He told me, ‘you should be ashamed of yourself, you have disgraced the white people, it’s people like you who make this country go to s*** like it’s gone because you married across the colour line’.”
Richard says he had to humble himself because he had just started the job and needed the money.
“I thought, I need this job desperately, I have a family that I need to take care of,” he explains.
“After that, every time he addressed me he called me a n**iertjie.”
He also showed the Daily Voice a video in which Johan showed him how to operate a computer programme and called him “n**iertjie”.
A man is heard saying: “Die parcel sal klaar daar wees en dan sê jy, sign in n**iertjie.”
Richard says: “I tried to stand up for myself and even went to the manager above him but got no help.
“Eventually he told me to leave (because I complained about the harassment) and I did that on March 19 and took the matter up with CCMA.”
The Daily Voice contacted Johan, who denied the racist abuse.
“No, I never called him any of that. We were all making jokes but never anything racist like he said.
“There were never any racial problems between us,” he said.
Ocean Basket’s regional manager Cristian Neagu vehemently denied that he didn’t do anything about Richard’s complaint.
“That is incorrect, he ran while I was away. He has taken the case to CCMA, I thought we would have the hearing and I would get to hear the whole story there.
“I am waiting for the CCMA hearing.”