Fours staff fired after Kapinga complaint
A Facebook complaint allegedly by Okavango West Member of Parliament, Kenny Kapinga, has cost at least four employees their jobs at the newly-opened Fours Quatros Takeaway branch in Gantsi.
This is after a social media account bearing the MP’s name shared a negative review of a meal purchased from the outlet.
The post read, “Feeling disappointed in Gantsi, I bought this meal at the newly opened Fours Food Court. It’s supposed to be hake and calamari. Disaster doesn’t even describe the cooking.
The fries were like dried biltong; the fish was a total disaster. The calamari was indescribable. I doubt whether the staff underwent training on how to prepare items on the menu. If I had time on my side, I would have returned the meal and asked for a refund.''
According to the affected employees, the post quickly gained traction online, drawing significant public attention given Kapinga’s stature as a public figure.
They allege that soon after the post went viral, management moved swiftly to address the issue.
The employees were reportedly summoned to a disciplinary hearing, charged with gross negligence, and ultimately dismissed.
Now unemployed, the workers admit that mistakes may have been made in preparing the meal, but argue that the punishment was excessive.
“We understand that we may have made errors, and we apologised for that. However, we feel the punishment was too harsh. A warning would have been more appropriate to give us a chance to improve,” they said.
They further allege that underlying operational challenges, including the use of cooking oil that is “often not fresh,” may have contributed to the poor quality of the food, something they claim is beyond their control.
The employees also believe that the prominence of the complainant may have influenced management’s decision.
“We feel management wanted to make an example out of us because of who raised the complaint,” they said.
When contacted for comment, Kapinga confirmed lodging the complaint but distanced himself from the dismissals.
“Yes, I complained, and Fours did call me to apologise. However, I was not part of the disciplinary process that followed. I cannot be blamed for what happened because I was not involved, nor was I called to give any evidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, when approached at their office in Gaborone, one of the company’s Managing Directors, Lushan Manjula, confirmed awareness of the incident and stated that the company intends to issue a formal written response.
At the time of going to print, the response had not yet been received.