A man from Mpumalanga who was called impondo by a Sappi employee at an Umkomaas mill, south of Durban, says he feels violated and belittled.

Ntando Mayana, 39, a Time Freight delivery man, told TimesLIVE he was referred to as an impondo while making a delivery in March.

“At check-in, I was attended [to] by a receptionist who took my fingerprints and processed me to gain entry. During this moment I was asked for my name and upon saying it, the man responded by calling me impondo,” he said.

Mayana said he was hurt by the “derogatory term” and decided to lodge a formal complaint with the company.