×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

'Our boss calls us baboons'

A worker at an aircraft services company has quit his job after his boss allegedly called him and his colleagues k****s and baboons.

Sowetan is in possession of the shocking audio clip in which the man insults his employees.

Ephraim Seema, 33, of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, said he endured the abuse for six years asking himself why his boss, Sandro Strimer, owner of Multi Aircraft Services, was insulting black people like that.

In one of the audio clips a male voice, believed to be that of Strimer, is heard calling the workers by the k-word.

The insults apparently started when Seema went to his room to fetch his lunch box. He said Strimer then got angry and complained that he was using his time to eat.

According to Seema, it was just before knock off time on January 22 when he decided to eat. He said he had not taken a lunch break that day because they had a lot of work to do.

On the clip a voice is heard saying: "Where are you going?"

Seema answered: "I go to pick up my meat." (sic)

The other voice: "To pick up your meat in my time? Huh, in my time? Okay, no problem, I will show you. I will show you bastard.

"Melita, I want a warning for every f****ng k****rs here tomorrow morning. They do not want to work, all they want is f&*ng money."

On another clip the voice could be heard saying: "Why don't you sit down? You look better now, now you look like a real f*&^ng baboon."

Seema said he recorded the insults from Strimer because he had had enough of the humiliations.

"I told him to stop calling us names and insulting us but he refused.

"He said it did not matter because he does not like black people and that he was doing us a favour by hiring us (blacks)," he said.

But Strimer denied the allegations and called the clips illegal.

"Let him come and approach me in a right way. I deny that. If you spread something like that, it's illegal and it's not true," he said.

When Sowetan told him that we had listened to the audio clips, he said: "If you heard it, you carry on, I tell you it's a lie," he said.

Strimer is a qualified aircraft engineer and the owner of Multi Aircraft Services based at Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria.

His company offers services such as refurbishing of aircraft, importation of aircraft spares.

tshehleb@sowetan.co.za

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.