Cape Town - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Cape metro have declared that no trading will take place at Hank’s Olde Irish pub in Cape Town CBD.
About 20 EFF members gathered outside the pub, which was closed, to express their outrage.
The party wants the pub’s trading licence to be revoked after a racist incident there.
Sea Point resident Thabiso Danca, 25, was prevented by the bouncer from entering the Bree Street pub last Thursday, and questioned about why he wanted entry to the premises.
Danca was told that, to gain entry, he needed to be accompanied by a white person as per instructions from the boss because “black people steal and make trouble inside”.
A group of Danca’s friends confronted the pub owners the next day, with the footage of the confrontation and subsequent brawl going viral.
Christopher Logan, 25, who was seen in the videos confronting the two owners, said he was physically assaulted by them, their nephew, and two bouncers.
Danca and Logan lodged respective police complaints at the Cape Town Central police station over racism and assault on Sunday. Danca will also take his case to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Soon after getting a whiff of the video, EFF members went to the pub on Sunday, but found that it was closed. The party has approached the SAHRC to investigate and remove its trading licence.
EFF regional secretary Banzi Dambuza said trading “will not take place within this establishment”.
Party members prevented cars from moving through the group, who were singing Struggle songs in the middle of the road. A notice on the pub’s doors stated that the pub had been closed in anticipation of the protest.
EFF spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said they had not directly engaged with the owners.
“We have no time to be diplomatic with racists. We are not in a position to negotiate with racists. They must arrest these people and revoke their licence and people who are supporting this business must withdraw their support so that they too can feel the pain of practising racism in South Africa, especially in the Western Cape. Racists have become emboldened in this province. One of the reasons is simply because the province itself is led by racist DA government."
Kasibe said they were still trying to reach Danca.
“We would love to sit down with him and discuss a few things because his pain is our pain. We see ourselves through his experience at this pub.”
Logan said the messages of support he received have been overwhelming.