Married Mother Of Two Allegedly Fired From Job Because She Was ‘Too Fat’


A married African mother of two recently went public with her story after allegedly being fired from her job because she was “too fat,” according to Sunday World. When 35-year-old Phumzile Mndebele of Soweto left her job of five years as a truck driver, she was hired by a BP company as a “flight fueling operator at O.R Tambo International Airport” in January 2012.

However, by the end of the year, she was approached by a BP manager, who stated that she would need to meet with an occupational therapist. Mndebele was curious as to why her job would need her to check in with occupational therapist, but she obliged without question. When she arrived at the medical center, she asked the doctor why was she advised to come there, and he said “that my company asked him to evaluate me and see if I can work there.”

The occupational therapist’s response shocked Mndebele, but she continued on with no complaints, even when BP later asked that she hire a personal trainer and dietician. Out of fear of losing her job, the mother, again, obliged and “paid for the services of these people from my own pocket.”

Mndebele’s dietician,Dr. Dodo Motsatsi, confirmed that she was his client, but due to professional reasons, he did not delve into her medical history. Also, her personal trainer, Rhulani Shirinda, made it well known that “she is currently my client, and I have been training with her for almost six months now. We do various activities to help her reach her goals.”

Despite the woman’s effort to lose weight, BP allegedly fired her anyway because she was too fat. She said that “when they dismissed me. they never considered any reports from my dietician and personal trainer about my progress. I shed some weight since I started these programs. I lost about five kilograms, and I now weigh 140 kilograms. All this just to accept discrimination against my body.”

It was reported that Mndebele was perplexed after she was allegedly fired for being “too fat” because the company was well aware of her weight during the job interview

“When I asked them why they hired me if they had a problem with my weight, they told me that my medicals were supposed to arrive in December 2011 but arrived in 2012. What angers me is the fact that they said nothing concerning my weight until later.”

It never occurred to Mndebele that her weight would be an issue when she started working for BP because she was never notified of any “policies regarding weight,” reported Sowetan Live. However, she did have an inkling that something was odd when some of her managers stopped greeting her.

When the company was questioned about firing Mndebele, their response was that they do not “comment on employment matters. Particularly as this has now been referred to the National Bargaining Council for the Chemical Industry,” said BP spokeswoman Karen Byamugisha.

The BP worker stated that, since she was allegedly fired for from her job for being too fat, she hasn’t been able to cope with the situation. She says it’s left her felling “very dirty,” as she recalls “reporting to work and being told not to touch any work for the whole of last year.”

Unfortunately for Mndebele, the loss of her job has put a strain on her marriage, as they are living in a “one-roomed backyard shack in Meadowlands with her two kids and husband.” She stated that she wishes she could sue BP “for putting me through all this. But I don’t have the money to do so. My husband earns R3500 per month.”

Although the BP worker was allegedly fired for being too fat, she stated that she is still seeing her “personal trainer from Virgin Active Maponya Mall. We do all types of exercises just to help me lose weight.”

[Image via Getty Images/Spencer Platt]

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