The Rundu Total Service Station owner who has been accused of whipping his employees has put himself on 14 days' suspension, along with the involved employees to allow for investigations.
Micke du Preez announced his own suspension through his lawyer, Richard Metcalfe of Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys, yesterday after videos of him whipping his employees went viral this week.
"To allow an unimpeded investigation, Mr Du Preez has placed himself on suspension for a period of 14 days to allow the labour consultant free access in order to provide an appropriate recommendation," Metcalfe said this week.
The involved employees will receive their full pay during this period.
Metcalfe said Du Preez condemned his actions and involvement in the 'whipping game', which he has apologised for.
"Any form of violence in the workplace, albeit voluntary and or a game, cannot be condoned in Namibia, and an unreserved apology is tendered by all employees involved therein," said Metcalfe.
According to Metcalfe, the video in which Du Preez is captured whipping some of his employees was selectively utilised to artificially contrive a racist frenzy.
In the video, employees of different races were beaten by Du Preez.
One of the employees, Willem Duran, resigned on Tuesday, claiming he wanted to come clean about what happened.
'N$5 000 FOR LYING'
He said they were promised N$5 000 to lie about the whipping game.
Minister of labour, industrial relations and employment creation Utoni Nujoma on Wednesday instructed a team of labour inspectors to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) commissar for economic development Michael Amushelelo yesterday led a demonstration at Rundu, advising consumers to boycott the service station.
"We, the residents of Rundu, stop going there to buy pizza, burgers and fuel up. Most of you are saying what is going to happen if the business closes.
"If the business closes we must sing 'Hallelujah, amen'. If it closes . . . some of us have money. We can buy the business and employ our people and start to respect our people," he said.
The group of protesters demanded that Du Preez should publicly apologise.
This comes after a former supervisor at the service station, Sammy Monyai, leaked videos to the media in which male employees were seen being whipped on their buttocks with a stick by Du Preez.
In another video, the workers are seen whipping Du Preez amid laughter.
The alleged abuse has been received with mixed feelings by members of the public.
It has sparked a public uproar, with people calling for the closure of the service station.
"Stop buying from Micke's shop until he apologises to the community, until he genuinely says he is sorry for the things he did."
Amushelelo said he was not elected to represent any union, but he is a Namibian who understands the pain people are enduring.
He said those entrusted to defend people's rights are no longer doing so, and they are letting someone else do it.
"So, I have become that something and that someone ..," he said yesterday.
Du Preez was unavailable to render his public apology as per the group's demand yesterday, but delegated his assistant to address the public on his behalf, a proposition rejected by the protesters.
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Du Preez is allegedly currently in Windhoek.
Jaco Willem, one of the flogged workers, resigned on Tuesday, and opened a case of assault against Du Preez at the Rundu Police Station on Wednesday.
The Kavango East regional leadership on Monday met with Du Preez and some of the affected workers.
At the meeting, the employees said the whipping was part of a game they sometimes play.
Sammy Monyai, who left his job of nine years as a supervisor on 9 February, said the workers are enduring abuse at the hands of Du Preez when they ask for loans.
He claims employees are granted loans of N$100 per lashing.
Du Preez has so far denied the abuse.
Amushelelo and other protesters notified the police that the protest will continue until Du Preez publicly apologises.
