Cape Town - The Congress of SA Students (Cosas) in the Western Cape is intensifying its campaign against the management of Woolworths, and has warned that seven more pigs’ heads will be placed in stores around the province.
Seven pigs’ heads were displayed outside Woolworths’ head office in Cape Town on Tuesday following an incident last month where a pig’s head, believed to have been “smuggled” in a pram, was placed in a Woolworths store in Sea Point.
Cosas claims to have placed three pigs’ heads in other stores around the province and says the retailer had not informed its customers about this.
Cosas provincial chairman Siphakamise Ngxowa said they were “giving a voice to the voiceless” and said Woolworths had given no undertaking that it would stop buying products from “apartheid Israel”.
Cosas provincial secretary Siphelo Makeleni said they were standing in solidarity with the pupils of Palestine.
The campaign was not meant insult anybody but to send a message to Woolworths.
The pigs’ heads had been donated by “Jews who want to remain anonymous”.
Last week members of the Jewish community expressed outrage at “anti-Semitic” behaviour following the incident at the Sea Point store.
On Tuesday, Wendy Kahn, national director of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, said the board was shocked that Cosas was “so adamant” to hurt fellow South Africans.
“It is such a violation against our democracy and our constitution.”
The board has laid a complaint against Ngxowa with the SA Human Rights Commission.
Paula Disberry, group director: retail operations at Woolworths, said while it respected the right of Cosas to peaceful and lawful demonstrations, it considered the pig’s head protest “objectionable and condemn it in the strongest possible terms”.
“It is deeply offensive, socially divisive and disrespectful, particularly to our employees and the Jewish and Muslim communities. It is insensitive to their religious and cultural beliefs.”
Cape Argus