Ndebele man ordered to dress ‘appropriately’

Nkangala cultural guru, Sipho Mahamba, has reacted with absolute anger and utter disappointment following an incident at a mall in Pretoria where a man in full isiNdebele traditional attire was allegedly ordered to leave store and dress appropriately.

A video circulating in social media shows a man identified as centre manager of Boulders Shopping Centre denying cultural activist, Thando Mahlangu from KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga entry into Clicks store saying he had to dress appropriately. “You need to leave my shopping centre because you are wearing indecently,” said the man in the video. “This is a public place.”

Mahamba told Highveld Chronicle the incident is seen as an attack to African customs and traditions. “It is not an attack to the isiNdebele culture only. We view it as an attack to every African culture. We cannot be foreigners in our own country. We need to show those who are undermining us that our culture is real and alive. We cannot allow a situation where western culture is seen as superior to ours,” he said.

He also said that the perpetrator needs to face the consequences of his actions. “We want that centre manager to be dealt with. He needs to realise that we are in Africa and in Africa our culture comes first,” said. However, Clicks said they will be taking steps against the centre manager.

“The centre manager of Boulders and the Boulders centre security demanded that the customer leave,” the store said in its Twitter account. “Our store manager intervened and asked the centre manager to leave. The customer was allowed to continue shopping. We will be putting in a formal complaint,” the store said.

Nkangala cultural guru, Sipho Mahamba, has reacted with absolute anger and utter disappointment following an incident at a mall in Pretoria where a man in full isiNdebele traditional attire was allegedly ordered to leave store and dress appropriately.

A video circulating in social media shows a man identified as centre manager of Boulders Shopping Centre denying cultural activist, Thando Mahlangu from KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga entry into Clicks store saying he had to dress appropriately. “You need to leave my shopping centre because you are wearing indecently,” said the man in the video. “This is a public place.”

Mahamba told Highveld Chronicle the incident is seen as an attack to African customs and traditions. “It is not an attack to the isiNdebele culture only. We view it as an attack to every African culture. We cannot be foreigners in our own country. We need to show those who are undermining us that our culture is real and alive. We cannot allow a situation where western culture is seen as superior to ours,” he said.

He also said that the perpetrator needs to face the consequences of his actions. “We want that centre manager to be dealt with. He needs to realise that we are in Africa and in Africa our culture comes first,” said. However, Clicks said they will be taking steps against the centre manager.

“The centre manager of Boulders and the Boulders centre security demanded that the customer leave,” the store said in its Twitter account. “Our store manager intervened and asked the centre manager to leave. The customer was allowed to continue shopping. We will be putting in a formal complaint,” the store said.