Man lays charge over racism at Virgin gym
2012-02-07 16:00
Johannesburg - A Virgin Active gym member laid a criminal charge after he was insulted at Sunninghill Virgin Active, in northern Johannesburg, Independent Online reported on Tuesday.
A fellow gym member called Lesley Mofokeng a "boy" and accused him of "hogging the equipment".
Mofokeng said: "The guy came and started shouting and said, 'You black guys take everything. We know this is your fucking country, but you do not have to control everything."
This after the Star newspaper reported on Monday that a patron of Virgin Active Morningside, in Sandton, was racially insulted by another patron during a spinning class on December 31.
Liz Hleza said the man appeared enraged because she shouted "yebo" in her enthusiasm for the music and the exercise.
"I was so scared and thought he was going to hit me, he was very angry. He said I should keep quiet and kept saying this bloody kaffir, you kaffir," Hleza said.
She said at the time she was dissatisfied with the gym's handling of the matter.
Founder and chief executive of the Virgin group Richard Branson commented on the issue on Virgin Active SA's Facebook page, News24 reported earlier.
"We do not condone any form of discrimination at Virgin - especially racism," he said.
He said Virgin was taking the complaints "extremely seriously".
"[We] intend to look at all the facts to reach the right outcome for all parties concerned," Branson wrote.
- SAPA
