Call to close 'whites-only' barber

Kollapen says discrimination should be a thing of the past

A men's hairdressing business should have its licence revoked for refusing to serve non-whites, the Human Rights Commission in South Africa has said.

The chairman of the Commission, Jody Kollapen, who is of Indian origin, was told by staff that it was the owner's policy only to serve white people.

Local journalists following up the story have had the same experience and Mr Kollapen says that action should be taken against the business.

"We want him to change his policy... if not then his licence should be withdrawn by the local authority... he should not be allowed to conduct business in this fashion any longer," Mr Kollapen told the BBC Network Africa programme.

The South African constitution prohibits unfair discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, age, conscience and belief.

It is simply not acceptable in the South Africa of today Jody Kollapen Human Rights Commission

Under the Equality Act of February 2000 those found guilty of unfair discrimination face penalties ranging from unconditional apologies to the payment of damages to the injured party.

Damages

Mr Kollapen has denied suggestions that he and others denied a haircut at the Pretoria-based barber shop would be seeking damages.

"What I want is to establish this as a principle that people cannot discriminate and get away with it... it is simply not acceptable in the South Africa of today".

Mr Kollapen had himself earlier investigated a complaint from a black man about the barber shop.

He says that there is nothing so far to suggest that the barber shop specialized in cutting Caucasian hair and was not therefore being racist.

"I tried to be as generous as possible in interpreting the events, but it is difficulty to escape the conclusion that he was a racist because my hair, for example, is black and straight, not very much different from hair of Caucasian people," said Mr Kollapen.