Ervert - Vodacom Shop L18 Vincent Park

On Saturday, 1 March, my sister and I went to Vincent Park to pay my mom's internet bill. Unfortunately, what should have been a simple inquiry turned into a heated confrontation with Ervert, a Vodacom representative.

We simply wanted to understand how the billing cycle worked, given that the previous payment was made manually on the 10th of the last month. However, Ervert repeatedly contradicted himself—first asking for my mom’s number, then refusing to provide any information, claiming that even if we went to a bank with her card, we wouldn't receive assistance. Instead of addressing our query, he kept insisting that we use the self-service kiosk.

When my sister pointed out that what he was saying made no sense, he got up from behind his desk and forcefully tried to escort us to the self-service station. My sister had to tell him not to touch her before he backed off and returned to his station.

I later approached him to give him feedback on our recent interaction and to provide feedback to him. This escalated into a shouting match—mostly from Ervert’s side—where he raised his voice to an unacceptable level. His demeanor was aggressive, unprofessional, and confrontational. At one point, he paced up and down the store as if trying to assert dominance. He also made continuous dismissive remarks like “Mxim” and “Sheee”, shaking his head in frustration. His own colleagues had to step in to calm him down.

Given South Africa’s ongoing crisis of gender-based violence, it is deeply disturbing that a male employee in a Vodacom store felt justified in behaving this way toward two female customers. His aggression, lack of professionalism, and outright hostility were completely unacceptable.

As promised, I have logged a Hello Peter complaint against Ervert for his appalling conduct. It is unacceptable for a Vodacom representative, in full uniform, to act in such a manner. I hope this matter is taken seriously.