Vusi Mbali, Milnerton
On Friday January 14, in the late afternoon, I was jogging topless and needed a beverage to cool down because of the soaring heat. I was near the Paddocks mall, so I decided to pop in there quickly.
A man at the SuperSpar entrance stopped me from entering because he wasn't sure if I could enter the store "without a top on”.
He said he would ask the store manager if I could enter, which took about five minutes, making me wait at the door.
He then told me that I couldn’t enter the store without a sweater. I did not argue with him; I just left. But, while I walked away, I saw two women in bikinis (with their thighs out) leaving Spar’s Tops bottle store.
So I thought why were they allowed to enter and purchase whatever they purchased but not me? Again, I did not argue or make a scene, I just left.
If it was a problem that I didn't have a top on, why didn't the security guard stop me from entering the mall because I walked right past one as I entered.
I ran to Sunset Beach Woolworths and was allowed to enter, so thank you to Woolworths and to the ladies at their door who were kind and friendly when I asked them if I could enter. They joked around with me that there was another man or two who had also come to their store topless.
Thanks again to Woolworths.
• Tabletalk approached SuperSpar for a response to Mr Mbili's letter. The branch manager replied that after checking with their communications and legal departments, they did not wish to comment.