South African man sacked from his family business after viral racist rant

Adam Catzavelos, a South African man has been sacked from his family business after a making a racist slur in a video widely shared on social media.  

Adam filmed himself on a beach, saying it was "heaven on earth" as there were no black people there. He said a derogatory term used historically by white people to denigrate black South Africans even as racism remains a major issue in the country, where white-minority rule ended in 1994.  

The hashtag #AdamCatzavelos began trending in the country on Tuesday when the video went viral on social media. Twitter users identified Catzavelos and called on businesses to boycott his family's company, which manufactures marinades and sauces and where he worked as a marketing director.

His brother, Nic Catzavelos, sent a statement to the BBC today saying the family was "appalled" by the video and "rejected racism in any form".

"Adam Catzavelos has been dismissed with immediate effect from the family business, St George's Fine Foods, and his minority shareholding will be unwound as soon as practically possible. Given the high-profile nature of this development, the business has been temporarily closed for the protection of all its staff. We have no further comment at this stage" it said.