The US-based sportswear giant, Nike recently opened its store in South Africa after the retailer was forced to shut down its outlet in the country following an outrage after a man, linked with Nike, was seen giving racist comments.
A video posted online caused the whole controversy. Although the U.S. sportswear brand’s name was not mentioned in the video, Times Live online news service reported, the man in the video was the spouse of a merchandising director at Nike.
Soon Nike issued a clarification that said that the person giving racist remarks in the video was not their employee.
In the video, the person (a white guy in South African accent) can be heard saying “And not one kaffir in sight. Fucking heaven on earth.” The ‘K-word’ used in the video is known as a slang to address black people in the country and is regarded as offensive as the ‘N-word’ in the US.
Nike issued a statement recently where tit again elucidated its “long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion and respect.”
Additionally, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EEF), a political party in the country said that it would file a complaint against the man in the video, who is reportedly identified as Adam Catzavelos, an entrepreneur who runs a family business by the name of St. George’s Fine Foods.
This is not the first time when the apparel giant had to face the outcry of a racist comment. Earlier this year, the Swedish apparel retailer H&M was forced to close six of its outlets due to an advertisement that featured a black child endorsing a sweatshirt with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle.”
Markedly, such incidents happen a lot in South Africa which hampers the racial equalisation embraced by the late president Nelson Mandela.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
