Today let us get a bit serious (read whinge).

Today let us get a bit serious (read whinge).

I frequent a supermarket not too far from my house, which is one of the many that have mushroomed in the townships. There is another shopping mall almost a similar distance from my home, but it is not in a township and I think it has no soul. So the "black" one takes my money.

I am perturbed, though, that each time I go to the "black" supermarket I am treated like a suspected criminal while the same does not happen at the "white" shop.

I have never understood why my cash slip has to be checked against my shopping by security guards at the door. If shoplifting is a problem, surely that is not my problem. There must be more dignified ways to deal with the matter. They could, for example, install spy cameras and employ plain clothes security personnel to catch the thieves.

I do not like to be frisked or for someone to check if I have not stolen something.

What is most bothersome is that these supermarket chains employ these demeaning practices only in townships. This implies they believe blacks are generally thieves.

I doff my hat to a scruffy little youngster who got himself smacked the other day for refusing to be frisked at the Palm Springs Mall in Evaton, while the rest of us meekly submitted to the humiliating checks. The guards roughed him up a bit, but he stood his ground. He was no thief, he said, and would not accept being treated like a suspect - in public nogal. Good boy.

I recently returned from a short holiday in Durban where I lived in a not-so-fancy self-catering apartment. On the day I departed, I was shocked witless when a woman who checked the inventory in my room told the receptionist that one towel was missing (stolen, she meant). So we had "stolen" the damn thing, they meant.

Common sense only got to prevail when someone acknowledged that no inventory had been taken when we checked in.

Back home, I was still incensed with the insinuation that I could nick a damn towel from a hotel. I sent an angry e-mail, pointing out that I took umbrage at the insult. I was hoping for an apology at the very least. What I received instead was the following, which I reproduce unedited:

Good day Mr Morale,

I am in receipt with your compliment which turned to be the complaint at last. I am following up with all the staff members on duty that day and I will come back to you with the feed back.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further assistance.

Kind Regards

Sophie Sit

Resort Manager

A month later I am still waiting ...