Teens who racially abused Spur waiter could face prosecution, say cops

Three teenage patrons accused of racially abusing a waiter at the Las Vegas Spur in East London last month are not off the hook just yet.

The three allegedly provoked 24-year-old Xolani Mbalo to the point where he stopped serving them.

Mbalo told the Daily Dispatch of the abuse he suffered at the hands of the teenagers. "They taunted me from the beginning, until I quit serving them. When I brought their food, they started making silly remarks, asking me to eat the chips, and when I asked them if I looked hungry, they burst out laughing," he said.

The teens gave Mbalo a R4 tip and left a derogatory comment on the slip. "The R4 is for hungry Africans," they wrote.

A case of crimen injuria was registered with the police following the incident.

"Statements were taken from all the parties involved. The docket has been handed over to the director of public prosecutions to make a decision on whether they will be charged,” said police spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi.

Mbalo said he preferred not to talk about the incident.

"This thing happened a while back. I no longer want to talk about it. It wasn't nice and I just don’t want to revisit that bad memory," he told TimesLIVE.   

Spur's management condemned the teenagers' behaviour. "We do not condone the use of derogatory, racist or sexist behaviour or language," they said. “We arranged counselling for our employee and have had further meetings with our staff."