A South African man has been banned for life from a gym after he was caught masturbating close to a woman doing squats.

The scene was revealed by an onlooker at Virgin Active gym in Stellenbosch, a University town in Western Cape, South Africa.

In the footage, the unnamed man can be seen sitting on an exercise mat a few yards from a woman who's doing weighted kettlebell squats.

He had placed his left hand inside his pants with a towel over his lap. He can be seen moving it vigorously while looking at a phone in his right hand.

The clip was taken by a gym-goer sitting on an exercise bike in plain view of the woman doing squats and the man.

The footage was then posted on Twitter with the intention of the tweet going viral. The post caused repulsion and anger among social media users.

In the footage, the man does little to hide what he's doing from other gym-goers. He doesn't seem bothered by his filthy action in front of everyone at the gym.

The clip was posted with a caption:

"I want this man's face to go viral. This was at the Virgin Active in Stellenbosch @virginactiveSA. Absolutely abysmal behavior."

According to local media, the Virgin Active gym responded to the incident and took immediate actions against the man for his "depraved behavior." His membership in the gym was terminated.

The spokesperson on Virgin Active, Carla White, added that the man had been handed a life ban from all Virgin Active facilities.

Carla White said:

"Virgin Active is aware of a video circulating on social media and WhatsApp."

"Our clubs are shared spaces and we will absolutely not tolerate depraved behavior. We commenced our investigation as soon as we received the video."

"We have identified the member in question and have terminated his membership with immediate effect."

Carla added:

"In order to make the space safe, we'll not tolerate this kind of behavior. Any action like this man attempted in our club will come with severe consequences, including legal action."

It's not clear whether the man will face criminal charges for his depraved actions or not.

His "disrespectful" and "disturbing" behavior has been condemned throughout social media, with people saying how such acts shouldn't be treated lightly.

One person twitted:

"People making fun of that Stellenbosch Gym Video is sick. What that guy did to that woman is sexual harassment."

Another wrote:

"That man who decided that masturbating in a gym in Virgin Active was a sexual predator. And the reactions to the video show a massive gap in the way we treat men who commit the crimes and the women who experience them."

Nobody has the right to make other people feel uncomfortable at the gym. Such establishments should be safe and supportive environments for both men and women, without one gender feeling offended sexually.

Virgin Active has set a good example saying such behaviors shouldn't be tolerated, even in other workout facilities.