By Duncan Guy | From The Independent

The Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in uMhlanga Ridge closed for business on Friday after it became the focus of a second health scandal to rock the food franchise.

A film clip of workers allegedly sharpening knives near dustbins on a pavement went viral only a fortnight after a scandal erupted when staff at a Gauteng outlet were exposed on film washing uncooked poultry on a floor using a fire hose.

Doug Smart, managing director of KFC Africa, said the company was making an investigation.

“We take our quality standards extremely seriously,” he said.

According to media reports, the video clip of the knife-sharpening incident was posted by nearby resident Ashrana Chanderanberg to a restaurant review page on Facebook.

Apparently the filming took place from the balcony of a hotel that overlooks the back of the building housing the KFC outlet.

According to reports, Chanderanberg complained that residents of blocks of flats were often woken up by the “agonising sounds of sharpening knives”.

While some online commentators expressed their shock, others reacted with humour. Several suggested it would be preferable to cook their own food at home.

After this latest video clip appeared on several news websites, the outlet remained closed and a notice on a locked door told prospective customers: “We are temporarily closed due to unforeseen circumstances.”

KFC said it had stayed closed after initially having shut owing to load shedding.

Meanwhile, a man who appeared to be in charge of the Gatemax outlet in uMhlanga Ridge declined to speak to the newspaper on Friday and spent the afternoon holed up in the fast food restaurant along with staff who were performing cleaning duties.

Read more at The Independent