Johannesburg - The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) may approach the Equality Court if it does not get co-operation from the owner of a Limpopo building which allegedly has segregated toilets, a spokesman said on Thursday.
“The final resort is to go to court if the landlord does not co-operate,” SAHRC spokesman Isaac Mangena said.
Commission investigators visited the Vleissentraal office block in Louis Trichardt on Wednesday following a report that it allocates toilets according to race groups.
“We visited the building and we found what was alleged in the media is actually true,” said Mangena.
“We got in touch with the owner of the building and he says he was not aware of the toilet situation.”
Mangena said an investigation had begun into the matter.
The Sowetan on Wednesday reported that business tenants at the office block convened a meeting after they had had enough of the segregation and humiliation.
“There are four toilets in this building. One is for black females, one for black males, one for white and coloured females, and the last one is used by one white male,” a businessman, who did not want to be named, was quoted as saying.
“The toilets are always locked and before we can use them we have to ask for the keys from the white lady managing the building.”
Other tenants, who did not want to be named, also spoke to the newspaper about the alleged racism.
The owner of the premises Bennie van der Merwe told Sapa the allegations were false.
“No it is not true. There is nothing like that,” he said on Wednesday. - Sapa