JOHANNESBURG - A viral social media video claimed staff at a Pretoria restaurant did not have contracts, depended solely on tips, and had to buy their own uniforms, among a number of issues.
The restaurant manager refutes this, despite being detained after the establishment was raided by law enforcement officials.
He said, "I think because our industry part of entertainment, night life, fashion, cool industry, good vibes but everyone knows that when anyone gets a job in our company, is so grateful and is happy because everyone knows that our staff they get paid very well and our waiters get paid very well. This is the reputation - this why when we do interviews we have queues of people."
"Usually people are very grateful, it's the first time in 20 years that we found ourselves in this situation. I believe the social media, can make you popular and can be very cruel at the same time."
"But it is good, it's an experience and we learn from it and we better ourselves to be 100%. Today, they catch me on my 1% mistake, next time we will be on 100% and not 99."
In response to the question if the competitors in the industry may have something to do with issues at the restaurant, he said, "I don't know. I cannot guarantee. It might be possible."
"All the big franchises in South Africa, they have labour issues. I mean, it never goes so viral. How come this thing went all over? Over 1.3 million views... It's like we, I don't know what we did, you know what I'm saying?"
He said, "We're just creating jobs. Maybe we're creating too much jobs. I think that's the issue or it's competition and maybe they're pushing because the competition is not just in the industry."
"It's even in fast foods, it's even in technology, it's like this is a part of business. We don't blame anybody in particular."
"I feel abused right now but it's part of the show. It's part of the game."
The creator of the viral video said, "There is nothing that is legally binding between you and the restaurant. You just go there, you work, if you get fired you get fired because there is no contract. That was the second red flag for me."
"And then they were like we don't have a basic salary." She also stated that the conditions of the employment were not discussed with her beforehand.
The restaurant manager responded to questions about the working conditions for staff by saying, "Our staff fill in forms, they have everything. All our kitchen staff, we have workmen compensation, we registered with the Bargaining Council."
"We have new staff and it's difficult to register all of them at the same time because a lot of people, they like to work for five days and they leave for five days. We just opened, we just got our contracts, we busy making interviews, I'm representing my brother who had an emergency overseas."
"It's not easy to manage everything at the same time but I believe that we are part of the top best management, the 5% in the whole country. If you go everywhere else, believe me it's not so organised, it's not so managed."
"In my shop, it is quite organised and clean and professional."
"They complain about the managers, what can I do. Everywhere, if you go to the hairdresser, the staff complain about the managers. Everywhere they go they complain about the managers. But what about the staff?"
"They don't like to come on time, they'd like to come drunk, they'd like to steal cutlery. Not all, but there is - we go through all these things."
"What about when they just leave the shop, they don't warn us. They leave us just like that."
Three people have been detained for working in South Africa without the correct documentation.
A fourth person, an employer, was also arrested.