POLITICS

"Humiliated! The Spar boss from hell made me piss in a bucket!" - Daily Sun

The front page and lead story of SA's largest daily newspaper, August 23 2013

Daily Sun (August 23 2013) - THANDEKA Tojikala is one angry SuperSpar worker! Thandeka told Daily Sun of her humiliating experiences at the hands of the owner of Florida Junction SuperSpar, west of Joburg. HE'S THE BOSS FROM HELL, SAYS THANDEKA!

Thandeka (26) told us: "He made me pee in a bucket while he watched. I asked him to go away but he stood there and folded his arms. I had to put on my clothes in front of him. "The buckets are next to the goods lift. Our male colleagues also pee in these buckets," she said. The humiliation has been going on for months at the SuperSpar, which is owned by John Bayett. Some of the allegations against Bayett are:

  • He makes employees use buckets instead of a toilet.
  • The real toilets are supposed to be locked at all times.
  • He insults employees, calling them names like magosha, bitches, black monkeys and msono ka nyoko (your mother's private parts).
  • He sexually assaults female employees.
  • When he walks through the shop "we must fuck off out of his way".

Bayett denies all the allegations. But Thandeka told Daily Sun: "Enough is enough. Somebody must intervene and put him in his place. We are working under inhumane circumstances." Thandeka, who lives in Braamfischer, has filed a complaint with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Thandeka said she does not care about speaking out any more because she wants Bayett exposed. "He is doing horrible things to us and we keep quiet because we are afraid of being fired," she said.

Daily Sun talked to other staff from the supermarket, who shared Thandeka's anger. One woman, who did not want to be named for fear of being victimised, said that one Sunday he forced them to eat their food at 8am. "He said that all the staff must eat and pee because there was not going to be lunch or tea breaks. And indeed we only left our work stations after 4pm," she said. "Most people have lost their jobs and we are afraid we will also be fired," they said.

But Thandeka said she would rather be fired than remain silent. CCMA spokesman Nersan Govender confirmed that Thandeka had lodged a complaint against Bayett but refused to disclose any details. "This is just a confirmation case but I cannot speak about it in the interest of both parties. But the case will be heard on 4 September," he said.

Earlier this week Bayett told Daily Sun the allegations against him "are completely without fact". He said that if we published a story that was not true, he would take "appropriate legal action." Gareth Saunders, who is retail operations executive at Spar South Rand, said: "The allegations have been put to Bayett, who denied them."

However, said Saunders, the allegations were "very serious indeed - and if they are found to be true, Spar will of course take our own internal steps against Bayett." ...

See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 330 000 and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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