Gay Former Employee Alleges Homophobic Bullying at Eastern Cape Checkers

A gay former employee of a Checkers store at the BT Ngebs Mall in Mthatha says he was forced to resign after enduring months of alleged homophobic insults, humiliation, and dismissive treatment from managers.

Speaking to MambaOnline, he detailed a series of incidents that he believes amounted to targeted workplace discrimination based on his sexuality and made his working life unbearable.

“How can I be okay while I’m sleeping with other men and I’m also a man?”

He says the bullying began in April or May this year, when he asked the branch manager to leave work early to go to a clinic as he was not feeling well.

“And she said, why am I looking like I’m not okay? And then I told her I was not okay. And then she replied saying, how can I be okay while I’m sleeping with other men and I’m also a man? That’s the first incident that I noticed.”

“Hurry up, stabane”

The former employee alleges that the verbal abuse escalated and spread among management.

He recalls another incident involving an admin manager while he was working as a coffee shop assistant at the kiosk:

“She came in there… and it was a slow day… She came shouting at me saying: ‘why are you being stupid? Why can’t you get busy and do something’. I then responded telling her that there are no customers so there is no-one to serve. She continued to call me stupid. I then decided to report the issue to the front controller… and I also reported the incident to a new training manager.”

On another occasion, he says, the branch manager shouted a homophobic slur at him in front of customers.

“As I’m walking to my station, the branch manager, in front of customers, said: ‘hurry up stabane’.”

Attempts to seek help went nowhere

The former employee says he tried to report the incidents through internal channels, including to the shop steward.

“I did try to report the incident. When I told the shop steward about what I was experiencing within the workplace I was told that ‘Managers are like that. I must try and understand them’.

“I didn’t understand her response because we all have employee numbers so why do I have to try understand them? We are all here to work and make a living.”

“I felt like I was being outed”

He describes the emotional toll the repeated insults took.

“Because of the things they were doing and saying to me, like the admin manager calling me stupid in front of my colleagues, I felt embarrassed and also wondered what everyone thinks of me now.

“And also, the branch manager to just expose and call me by my sexuality loudly in front of customers, I felt like I was being outed. I have the right to [choose to] disclose my sexuality to whomever I want as it’s personal. She just spoke about it like it was nothing. So, I just felt like I cannot do it anymore.”

“I could not be productive in a toxic environment”

Ultimately, he says, the hostility pushed him to resign.

“What led me to resigning was I felt like the environment that I was working in was becoming toxic and I could not bear it anymore. For me to be productive I had to go somewhere else.”

Checkers responds

In response to MambaOnline, Checkers said:

“Our dealings with employees are based on the principles of fairness and the inherent dignity of all, and employees are expected to apply the principles of respect and equality irrespective of race, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other arbitrary ground.

“Unfair discrimination is not tolerated, and the human rights of all employees are always respected.

“We can confirm that no formal complaints of this nature have been received through the retailer’s established grievance channels.

“There are comprehensive grievance procedures in place which enable employees – both current and former – to raise concerns, report misconduct and appeal disciplinary outcomes. In addition, individuals are entitled to exercise their legal rights by referring matters to the CCMA.”

CCMA case and new developments

The former employee took the matter to the CCMA and has since shared additional evidence with MambaOnline.

MambaOnline received emails from the former employee confirming that a case had been formally opened against Checkers at the CCMA. The first hearing was scheduled for 16 October 2025, which Checkers failed to attend. The company then requested that the matter move to arbitration.

Following this, Checkers reached out to the former employee seeking a meeting outside of the CCMA process. The meeting took place on 7 November 2025 and included representatives from the company’s LGBTQIA office as well as a member of its human rights desk. The former employee shared a recording of the meeting with MambaOnline.

In the audio, a Checkers representative can be heard attempting to offer the former employee his job back in exchange for closing the CCMA case. The former employee declines, stating that he is not the first queer person to resign from this Checkers location due to homophobic behaviour from managers, and that returning would place him back into a toxic environment.

He further notes in the recording that although he previously reported the managers’ homophobic conduct internally, he was only told that an investigation was underway, yet no action has been taken, and managers “are too comfortable” making homophobic remarks.

After receiving this new information, MambaOnline reached out to Checkers for a second time. Despite numerous follow-up emails, the company has not responded.

Arbitration has now been scheduled for Friday, 16 January 2026. MambaOnline will keep readers updated as the case progresses.