Some of the Grahamstown KFC workers who decided not to go on strike have received dangerous threats of arson with aggressive people even arriving on their doorsteps, threatening them with unlit petrol bombs.
Some of the Grahamstown KFC workers who decided not to go on strike have received dangerous threats of arson with aggressive people even arriving on their doorsteps, threatening them with unlit petrol bombs.
According to Tyler Mpetsheni, an assistant manager at KFC wholives in Hlalani, a group of random people that he has never seen before arrived at his home on Friday and threatened to set his home on fire if he goes to work again.
“We are fighting with the bosses, not you!” shouted one of the men. A traumatised Mpetsheni said: “The men came back on Saturday and threw an unlit petrol bomb in my yard.”
Nombulelo Speelman, another KFC employee from Extension 6 said that at about 1.30am on Sunday morning, the same unknown group arrived at her home, broke a window and set the curtains alight.
“In the process of burning the curtains they were verbally assaulting me calling me an impimpi [a whistle blower to bosses],” said Speelman.
According to a reliable anonymous source, one of the managers at KFC, Ilza Oosthuizen, and Tony Jacob, an assistant manager, also received threats of arson from a similar group of people at their homes.
Both did not wish to comment but Jacob admitted: “At a staff meeting we recently had we were told not to answer any questions from the media.”
When Grocott’s Mail contacted one of the local KFC outlets for comment reporters were referred to the KFC regional offices in Port Elizabeth.
Several telephone calls were made but we did not succeed in getting a comment from the Managing Director (MD) who is responsible for responding to the media. Lieutenant Colonel Sibongile Soci of the South African Police Services (SAPS) provincial communications department said, “Cases of intimidation were opened including a case of arson at the Grahamstown police station, no arrests have been made yet but all cases are under investigation.”
