A patient who was apparently unhappy that he had to wait before being assisted for an injury at a Mediclinic in Cape Town last year, has been found guilty by the Equality Court of hate speech and harassment against a nurse.
The Cape Argus reports that the emergency room nurse, Fybeja Nayona, was on the receiving end of Mark Preyer’s racial and gender abuse, when he had also used the “k” word, she alleged.
Preyer had visited the clinic in February last year, after a motor bike had fallen on his leg and injured him. However, when he got there, he was not coded as a priority patient – but according to the receptionist, he refused to join the queue and then tried to force open the emergency unit door.
When he demanded immediate attention, the receptionist approached Mayongo for help. The receptionist could not hear what was said between the two of them, but saw Mayongo leaving the room, crying.
Mayongo testified that she saw the wound on Preyer’s foot and concluded it was not a priority case. While she was questioning him about the injury, she said Preyer got angry and swore at her.
He described it as a deep flesh wound, and claimed that when he got to the hospital for emergency treatment, the receptionist appeared disinterested as she was busy on the phone. He said she had looked at him “with an expression of naked hostility” while his wound was “dripping blood”.
His feeling was that he was being racially prejudiced. However, he denied calling her by the “k” word. He said he was usually a calm person, so he was not proud that he lost his temper.
But Judge Daniel Thulare noted that Preyer was impatient and angry and that he did, indeed, use the word, as this was supported by other witnesses.
The matter will return to court to decide on a sanction.
Cape Argus PressReader article – Nurse suffered racist abuse in Cape Town ER (Open access)
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