'Racist' patient guilty of hate speech

RACIST abuse hurled against a Mediclinic nurse in Cape Town amounted to hate speech and harassment, the Equality Court has ruled.

- ZELDA VENTER

The patient, who was unhappy because he had to wait before he was assisted, unleashed a stream of racial and gender abuse at the emergency room nurse, who said she was humiliated in the process.

Mark Preyer landed in hot water after he used the "k" word towards nurse Funeka Mayongo during a visit to the clinic in February last year. He also called her a "f... bitch" and aimed words towards her mother.

The problems started when Preyer was not coded as a priority patient and there were other patients who required priority attention before him. According to the receptionist, Preyer, who was at the time outside the emergency care entrance, tried to forcefully open the door to the emergency unit. She noted a minor wound on Preyer's foot, and she then explained to him that the trauma unit was busy and that he should join the other patients who were already in the waiting area.