Deputy mayor in shoe theft rumpus
Durban - Shoes may be a woman’s best friend, but leaving a store with an unpaid for pair can be embarrassing, not to mention getting you in trouble, even if you are a deputy mayor.
Pongola deputy mayor, Busi Mvelase, found out the hard way. She stands accused of stealing a pair of shoes that costs R919 at Mr Matata Clothing & Sportwear in Pongola.
But Mvelase is protesting her innocence despite admitting to simply grabbing a pair, wearing them and walking out. She said the matter was a misunderstanding between her and the shop owner.
“This thing is being blown out of proportion by people who want to taint my character… I’m being attacked because of my position, like the president,” she said.
The issue began when Mvelase bought shoes that turned out to be a size smaller than what she expected.
“I wore the shoes to an event and everyone was laughing at me because my toes were popping out,” she said.
Upon realising that they were not the perfect fit, Mvelase said she immediately went to the store to return them. But the store owner, Chris Weege, refused to take back the shoes and give her a better fitting pair. Weege claimed there was no refund on items that had been worn.
The shoes, had cost the deputy mayor R1 329 and she said she became frustrated as she had only worn them for a few hours and had no use for them.
“I tried to explain the situation. I needed a pair at that moment as I was barefoot,” she explained.
Mvelase then took another pair, different to the shoes she initially bought, put them on and simply left the ill-fitting shoes at the store.
When contacted by The Mercury, Weege said the matter was with the police and refused to comment further.
Director of the consumer protection services, Tshepiso Selepe said Mvelase was not entitled to a refund.
“The customer had worn the shoes, there was no factory defect on the shoes and she was returning them because they made her feel uncomfortable,” he explained.
Selepe said what Mvelase wanted was a goodwill refund, which businesses were not obliged to give.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala said a case of theft had been opened at Pongola police station.