SHAIN GERMANER
AWARD-winning veteran photographer and museum curator Alf Kumalo has taken a fellow patron at a restaurant to court for calling him a “bloody k*****” and threatening to hurt him.
He has opened a case of crimen injuria and defamation of character against Denis Athanasotoulos after he allegedly used a racial slur against Kumalo. And the photographer was advised to also lay a complaint at the equality court in an attempt to further expose the nature of the crime, which is set to be examined by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on March 27.
Kumalo and his family were at the Ocean Basket in Sunninghill on January 29 when the incident occurred.
According to manager Romalin Moodley, Athanasotoulos was watching the Australian Open when he started shouting profanities. Moodley approached him and asked him to keep it down. Athanasotoulos agreed to.
“But he started again a little while later. Other families were getting upset,” Moodley said.
He again approached Athanasotoulos, who, for a second time, agreed to quieten down. But, after a while, he became loud and aggressive again.
At this stage Kumalo got upset. He approached Athanasotoulos, asking: “With all this noise, how do you expect us to eat?”
The question triggered a heated response from Athanasotoulos, who allegedly called Kumalo “a bloody k*****”, picked up his wine bottle and threatened to hit him.
Moodley was forced to intervene, and asked Athanasotoulos to leave. Athanasotoulos responded by calling the police. Statements were taken from customers and management, and Athanasotoulos was arrested.
The following day, Athanasotoulos approached Moodley to apologise and try to get in contact with Kumalo. But Kumalo had already opened a case of crimen injuria, and the case was heard by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court last week.
The matter was postponed to March 27 for further investigation.
“This is about history and respect. I have to go through with this,” Kumalo said.
Kumalo, who has worked for numerous international and local publications, including The Star, for more than 50 years, is the curator of the Alf Kumalo Museum and has a photography school in Soweto.