A barman at a local Stellenbosch bar was recently suspended after using a homophobic slur to refer to a gay customer.
This is according to Marla Huisamen, a junior manager at Die Mystic Boer, where the incident took place. The barman, who was not named, was suspended between 2 and 9 March, and also made a video in which he apologised to the customer, said Huisamen.
Die Mystic Boer, where a homophobic incident involving a barman recently occurred, is located on Victoria Street, Stellenbosch. “Our LGBTQ [customer base] is quite big. The last thing I want anyone to think is that this is the standard of Mystics,” said Monique Geldenhuys, manager of Die Mystic Boer. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim
The incident
Mikyall Harris, a Stellenbosch University (SU) student, told MatieMedia that he was at Die Mystic Boer on Victoria Street on 28 February when the barman refused to serve him a drink.
When Harris’ friend went to order a drink on his behalf, the barman allegedly asked whether the drink was for their “m*ff*e friend”.
“[The barman] did not want to help me either because I am here with the m*ff*es,” claimed Nathaly Lottering, an SU student and one of Harris’ friends who was with him at Die Mystic Boer on the night of the incident.
Harris took to Instagram after the incident, writing “@mysticsstellies I expect an apology at the least […] Do I have to be straight in order for me to buy a drink at your bar?”
According to Harris, after his Instagram post, he received an apology via direct message from the official Instagram account of Die Mystic Boer on 1 March. He also met with management on 1 March.
Harris said that he still felt “physically uncomfortable” in the establishment when meeting with the Die Mystic Boer manager. “They said they were really sorry,” Harris said.
Harris said he felt angry and was in “utter disbelief” that the incident had occurred. He described the experience as “invalidating” and said that “it still hurts”.
Harris confirmed that an eight-second apology video was sent to him directly via Die Mystic Boer’s Instagram page on 5 March. In the video, the barman stated that he takes responsibility for using the word and that “he is sorry from the depths of his heart”.
Mikyall Harris, a Stellenbosch University student, was called a homopohic slur and denied service at Die Mystic Boer on 28 February. After the incident, Harris posted a series of messages on his Instagram story describing the event. PHOTO: Instagram/Mikyall Harris (Screenshots obtained by Na’ilah Ebrahim)
Die Mystic Boer’s response
Management at Die Mystic Boer condemned the barman’s actions, according to Monique Geldenhuys, a manager at Die Mystic Boer. She stated that she “disagreed with [the barman]”. Geldenhuys stated that she told the barman that he had to behave in a professional way, even if he felt that someone had insulted him.
“[Management] spoke to him and educated [the barman] about what words are acceptable, where they came from and why not to use them,” Huisamen said in an interview with MatieMedia. “I told him about the queer culture, specifically also the queer culture in Stellenbosch and how he can educate himself”.
In correspondence with MatieMedia, the barman said he was “very very sorry” and that he now understands the pain caused by his use of the word. “I will not use the word anymore in my life,” he added.
According to Huisamen, the incident will now sit on the barman’s record and “if it happens again, he will be terminated immediately”.
“Mystics has always been a safe haven. It made us [the LGBTQIA+ community at Stellenbosch] feel comfortable and like we are at home,” stated Mikyall Harris (pictured). The Stellenbosch University student said that he felt disappointed in the behaviour he experienced at Die Mystic Boer on 28 February, when a homophobic slur was used to refer to him. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim