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Social media rallies in support of Shamiso Mosaka after he was kicked off the plane
South African television personality Shamiso Mosaka has been removed from a flight from Durban to Johannesburg for “unruly” behavior, officials have announced.
Local airline Gem Air announced on Monday that its flight was delayed by 90 minutes after the influencer refused to abide by “safety regulations.”
It added that the pilot was forced to shut down “the engine that was already running.”
Mosaka did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment, but filmed the exchange on Instagram Live.
The influencer has over 140,000 followers on Instagram and is also a presenter on the MTV Base South Africa music channel.
The video was widely shared on social media and many people came out in support of Mosaka.
In the video, the influencer is asked by a police officer to get off the plane, but she refuses until he promises to book another flight. The airline crew denies this request.
She tries to protect herself and gather support from other passengers to prove that she is not a nuisance.
Mosaka later claimed the flight attendant did not properly explain her mistake and said she felt the incident was racially motivated.
Laura van der Molen, CemAir’s chief financial officer, told local newspaper The Citizen that there was no “racial profiling”.
“Unfortunately, I was forced to leave because I refused to abide by the airline’s regulations,” Mosaka said.
The incident occurred at King Shaka Zulu International Airport on Sunday.
CemAir said the incident had been reported to the South African Police Service, who would address the matter.
The airline said it would “assist police with any further investigation and potential prosecution of this matter”.
