SA Black youth painted white for shoplifting

‘‘He was covered all over, including his face. He has suffered because of the paint on his face,’’ said police spokeswoman Captain Sibongile Nkosi.

The incident, which made headlines in national newspapers on Wednesday, occurred just days after a teenage girl in Limpopo province was awarded 25,000 rand ($2,362) in damages after she was humiliated in a similar way two years ago.

The South African Human Rights Commission said the incident was a degrading form of punishment ‘‘reminiscent of a medieval and archaic era’’ and had no place in the new South Africa.

Madonsela, who was charged with shoplifting and released on bail, has accused two Black security staff of dousing him in paint while another White security guard looked on.

He has laid assault charges against the supermarket chain, which has denied any wrongdoing.

‘‘Shoprite Checkers strongly denies that any member of its staff was involved in the alleged painting of the alleged shoplifter and it has the assurance of the independent security company that their employees are neither responsible for such actions,’’ the retailer said in a statement.

Nkosi said the security guards told police that Madonsela had painted himself after he was locked in a security room where tins of paint were stored. ‘‘What is puzzling us is that he was handcuffed at the time. We are still investigating,’’ Nkosi said.

‘‘It does conform to a definition of vigilantism in that it is a highly visible form of punishment,’’ said Bronwyn Harris, researcher at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation. ‘‘But if someone says they did it because of frustration overcrime, it can be a handy cover for racism,’’ said Harris, who is researching a report on racially-motivated crimes. (Reuters)