The manager of a South African mall has been suspended for attempting to deny admission to a shopper dressed in traditional ethnic dress.

A video of the incident at Boulders Shopping Centre in Johannesburg showed the manager saying the traditional Ndebele attire was "not decent".

"We've got the right of admission. I don't condone this in my mall," he was heard saying.

Mall owner Redefine Properties on Thursday said the incident was "most regrettable" in a statement that announced the manager's suspension, local media report.

The Ndebele people live in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.