A young Sasolburg woman who reported the former owner of the local drinking hole and his cabal to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for racism now lives in fear.
Lehlogonolo Mathabatha, 31, raised the ire of Metsimaholo local municipality businessman Gert Janse van Rensburg and his collaborators when she opened a case of racism against them for placing pictures of President Cyril Ramaphosa, Jacob Zuma, his ex-wife Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and EFF leader Julius Malema in urinals so “his white patrons could piss on the faces of black politicians”.
The SAHRC promptly took the case against the ex-owner of No Name Bar and Family Restaurant in Vaalpark to the Equality Court. Janse van Rensburg and his friends made their court appearance on Friday, when the case was postponed to July 22.
Mathabatha told Sunday World that Janse van Rensburg, who is also the owner of Vaalpark Square, had been threatening her since she took the matter up. She claimed he told her that he would ensure she never got employed again. She was fired and has been unemployed since.
The drama started when Mathabatha, employed as a head waiter at the drinking hole, approached Janse van Rensburg and the bar manager, Jiovanni Cosmo in 2022 about staff demand for a minimum wage.
“When I confronted them, things went sour. I was accused of influencing staff, and this resulted in me being sidelined and called names. I also asked Gert and Jiovanni about the video that circulated on social media in 2021, demanding to know why the faces of black politicians were placed in urinals.”
Mathabatha said she was then accused of theft and fraud and later hauled before a disciplinary hearing. Mathabatha said that when she reported what was clear racism to the SAHRC, she was fired.
Janse van Rensburg then started threatening her in phone calls, she said.
In the video that we have seen, two bar patrons whose names Sunday World has decided to withhold, filmed themselves in the toilet making jokes about the faces in the urinals. “We are drinking with politicians,” they joked, pointing to the pictures.
“I fear for my life as Gert told me that he had lot of money and that he was going to show me who he was. Recently I was shocked to learn that people close to Gert were going around asking people where I lived and worked since he fired me,” Mathabatha said.
Sunday World heard a recording, supposedly of Janse van Rensburg, making the threats.
Mathabatha said he also asked local businessman and former DA mayor of Metsimaholo, Jeff Zwane to convince her to drop the matter.
However, a shaken Zwane told Sunday World on Friday that he didn’t meet Mathabatha to ask her to stop anything.
“I was a mere facilitator. A guy from the EFF, Agree Mathebula, was also there representing the lady.
“Gert said that the lady was besmirching his name. He told me that it was his business manager, whom he had since fired, who caused all the problems with images in the urinals.
“I did not get involved in what was being discussed. I was just there as a mayor, nothing else. I told Gert that he must apologise to the woman as what happened at his business was pure racism.” said Zwane.
Mathebula confirmed his attendance of the meeting and that Zwane had asked Janse van Rensburg to apologise.
Janse van Rensburg said that he sold No Name Bar in 2023, and that Cosmo had relocated to the US. Cosmo told Sunday World that he was now based abroad and “would not like to comment on the matter”.
Janse van Rensburg said that Mathabatha was dismissed on November 7, 2022 for defrauding the company by manipulating the point of sale system to increase her own commission and that she never challenged her dismissal with the CCMA.
He said he doesn’t know the person who placed images of politicians in urinals, saying the
establishment is a public environment where members of the public come and go.
“I can state that I am disgusted with the way this matter has been dealt with by the public.
“I am not a racist. I welcome the fact that this case can be properly ventilated in the correct forum and dealt with, and I can finally prove my innocence.”
