Johannesburg - Businessman Adam Catzavelos was expected to appear in court on Tuesday to answer for a racial slur he uttered while on holiday and which was caught on video.
In August last year, Catzavelos, who was on holiday in Europe, shared a video of himself saying: “Let me give you a weather forecast here. Blue skies, beautiful day, amazing sea and not one k****r in sight.”
The video went viral and led to businesses boycotting the family business, St George's Fine Foods.
The EFF, accompanied by Paseka Motsoeneng, also known as Prophet Mboro, opened a case of crimen injuria against Catzavelos at Bramley police station in Joburg.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said they could not name Catzavelos, but confirmed that his appearance would be on May 28 at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.
“We can only confirm the attendance, we will comment after his appearance,” she said.
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) also announced last year that they would conduct a formal investigation into Catzavelos’s “insulting k-word slur”.
SAHRC Gauteng provincial manager Buang Jones told The Star that the commission intended to serve him papers on the day he appeared in the Equality Court.
“Our intention is to go and serve him in court on that day. We have our case in the Equality Court and we are going to serve him in person,” he said.
Catzavelos’s family announced last year that they had dismissed him from the family businesses, including The Smokehouse and Grill in Braamfontein, which closed, and St Georges Fine Foods.
The Star previously reported that a company search conducted showed that Catzavelos was still listed as a director of St Georges Fine Foods. It also showed he had resigned from The Urban Eatery and three other family businesses: BBQ King Distribution, Chimichurri and Phoenix Fine Foods.
Catzavelos’s brother Nicholas said the company had changed from a close corporation (CC) into a private company. The company is now called Phoenix Fine Foods.
“We were a close corporation listed as St Georges Fine Foods, which we converted into a private company. Because the CC was never closed down, it still reflects Adam as a director of St Georges Fine Foods. ”
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