The gut-wrenching racial episode at Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on the outskirts of Bloemfontein has revealed the untold suffering and institutionalised racism that workers who are the heart of the resort are subjected to.
The resort came under scrutiny on Christmas Day when a social media video emerged of three adult white men assaulting two black teenagers for swimming in a pool apparently reserved for white guests.
The three men were captured on video assaulting and shoving two teenage brothers to get them off the public pool area based on their race.
Sunday World set out on a mission this week to find out the backstory and existing racial relations at the establishment in the aftermath of the racial intolerance which grabbed international headlines.
The resort lies in a quiet and secluded countryside with barely any activities outside of the establishment. At first glance, there is nothing amiss about the popular holiday destination, which is one of the key tourist attractions of choice for the affluent and international holidaymakers.
“The venue itself boasts state-of-art facilities offering various leisure preferences and it is surrounded by breath-taking views and scenery.
But a 15-minute gravel walk, a short distance from the resort, a different picture emerges of a working-class community of about 30 dwellers housed in what could be seen as a caravan park. It meant to be a shelter those performing housekeeping, catering, assisting guests and gardening services.
The atmosphere of fear and mistrust exists among workers, with several of them declining to conduct any interviews for fear of victimisation.
One worker told Sunday World: “We were told not to speak to any media, and I do not want to get into to trouble. I still want my job. But there is a lot going here,” he said before hastily walking away.
Other workers peeped through the windows while others stood outside and whispered to each other. In a few minutes, another worker who called himself Amos Khaila, emerged and told Sunday World that he had worked for the resort for more than a decade and he had watched people come and go.
“The swimming pool incident is only a tip of the iceberg. Workers here are the victims of brazen racism from both the resort management and the guests. There are many racial incidents which have happened, but people fear to speak out because they want to preserve their jobs. Those in the housekeeping services are subjected to severe racism from guests, who are mostly Afrikaners,” Khaila lamented.
He told Sunday World he had been quiet for a very long time and was ready for any repercussions that would be directed at him for revealing what he termed the racial abuse of black workers. “Some people can’t cope because of the working conditions and the low wages we are paid. We also live in cramped, small structures and there are no health facilities nearby or schools for our
children,” he said.
Another worker alleged that the resort had also resorted to employing undocumented foreign nationals from mainly Lesotho to pay them low wages.
Last week Thursday, Jacobus Classen, a suspect linked to the racism incident, appeared at the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court, and was granted bail of R20 000.
Claasen’s granting of bail was preceded by the appearance of his two co-accused in the same court last week Wednesday. However, the duo was released on a warning following the
highly charged incident.
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