Uproar over pig’s head in Woolies store

A Radio Islam reporter was allegedly forced by police officers to delete pictures taken at a protest outside a Woolworths store at Trade Route Mall in Lenasia. Photo: Rogan Ward

A Radio Islam reporter was allegedly forced by police officers to delete pictures taken at a protest outside a Woolworths store at Trade Route Mall in Lenasia. Photo: Rogan Ward

Published Oct 25, 2014

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Cape Town - A student organisation which placed a pig’s head in the kosher meat section of a Woolworths store has vowed to do the same in more of the retailer’s stores around Cape Town.

This comes as the South African Board of Jewish Deputies (SABJD) labelled the act as “hate-filled” and insisted it would take action against the perpetrators.

Woolworths is taking steps to prevent further incidents.

Members of the Congress of South African Students Western Cape branch left the pig’s head at the Woolworths in Fort Road, Sea Point, on Thursday.

This was in protest against the store stocking Israeli products.

On Friday Cosas’s Western Cape convener Siphakamise Ngxowa vowed to ”continue”.

“We believe Woolworths is continuing to buy products from Israel, the very same Israel killing school children in Gaza. That’s why we’re taking drastic action,” Ngxowa said.

 

“Woolworths has betrayed school children and is a very dirty apartheid-supporting store.”

On Friday the SABJD said it was appalled by what had happened.

 

Wendy Kahn, the board’s national director, told Weekend Argus it would take action against the student congress.

“We are outraged by it,” she said.

Kahn said the incident was “about making Jews uncomfortable in South Africa”.

Paula Disberry, the group director of retail operations for Woolworths, said only the store in Sea Point had been targeted.

 

“We will destroy any Halaal products that may be affected and take any other appropriate measures. There were no Kosher food products on the affected shelf,” she said.

 

“Placing a pig’s head in our store is unacceptable and offensive to our employees and customers, including Jewish and Muslim employees and customers,” she said.

The incident caused an uproar on social media.

A photograph of a man posing with a pig’s head in a meat aisle was tweeted under the handle @ANC_BRANCH. It was accompanied by the text: “COSAS will be delivering pigs heads to the kosher meat sections of @WOOLWORTHS_SA.”

Weekend Argus

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