Spar employee allegedly beaten, pepper-sprayed after refusing breathalyzer test

A Spar employee was allegedly assaulted by a security manager, shoved against shelves and pepper-sprayed “until the bottle was empty” after he refused to take a breathalyzer test shortly before knocking off. The incident allegedly happened at a supermarket in Bothaville in the Free State. The employee has sinceopened a case against his colleague.

Tommy Morapedi, a general employee at the store, told Sowetan that when he refused to take the test, he was pepper-sprayed “until the bottle was empty” and forcefully thrown against store shelves. Morapedi said the incident happened last weekend, at about 2pm as he was about to knock off. “I asked him why he didn’t do the breathalyzer in the morning and only when I was knocking off.

The [fight] lasted for about 10 to 20 minutes. That pepper spray was so painful,” he said. “I am still in pain as I speak and have stitches.

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I don’t know how I am going to work with him,” said Morapedi, who has been working for the local supermarket for five years. Morapedi maintained he was sober and did not need a breathalyzer. On Wednesday, theEFFin the area visited the supermarket and demanded that the manager be suspended and arrested.

“We sat down with the management, and some police were there with us as well. We demanded that he be suspended and also an apology from Spar to the community on what happened,” said the EFF’s Donald Sompane. Mpudi Maubane, national PR, communications and sponsorship manager at the Spar Group, said they were aware of the incident.

“Spar operates under an independent retailer model, which means each Spar store is independently owned and operated by a local retailer responsible for the management of employees and day-to day store operations. The retailer of the Bothaville store is aware of the incident and has taken immediate steps to address the matter,” she said.

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