Cosatu accuses Pick n Pay of racism over broken chocolate incident
Cosatu yesterday demanded Pick n Pay make a formal apology to a family, accusing the national supermarket chain of victimising and being racist toward a grandmother and her grandson.
The federation union in a statement said it was outraged at the "victimisation and intimidation" of an elderly woman and her grandson at a Pick n Pay in Mitchells Plain.
A picture of the clearly upset grandmother on the floor, cradling the boy, was shared on Facebook at the weekend.
Another picture showed a slab of Dairy Milk broken in half, with the wrapper still intact. Facebook users expressed their outrage over the way the two were treated at the store on Saturday.
Cosatu called the store's behaviour "high handed" and said the type of treatment the family experienced only occurred in black working class areas.
"Cosatu calls on Pick n Pay to make a formal apology to the family and shoppers and to compensate them for the stress endured. Cosatu also demands that the child and the grandmother be provided with counselling to deal with this traumatic experience.
"This kind of behaviour is entirely unacceptable and it is clear that securities [sic] are directed to treat people on the Cape Flats in this manner. This type of behaviour would however never be carried out in the wealthier suburbs, where mainly white shoppers are," the union said.
Cosatu added that if the matter was not settled by Friday it would take action against the supermarket chain.
Pick n Pay on Monday said it had met the Mitchells Plain woman who was reduced to tears over a demand that she pay for a slab of chocolate her grandson had apparently broken in one of its stores.
(File photo)