Cape Town – The owner of Hank’s Olde Irish Pub in Cape Town, Johnny Papadakis, is working to restore his reputation after assault charges against him were withdrawn.
In December, a video shared on social media by Christopher Logan garnered attention as he alleged that his friend, Thabiso Danca, had been racially discriminated against and denied entry to the pub.
In the video, Logan struggled to keep his cool, as he lashed out at Papadakis about an incident whereby the bouncer at the door allegedly prohibited Danca, a black man from entering the pub, and allegedly told him that he could not enter the establishment without being accompanied by a white person.
WATCH: The racist owner of Hank’s Olde Irish/Love Thy Neighbour Robert Southworth turning black people away if they aren’t “accompanied by a white person” being confronted by a young white man in 110 Bree Street, Cape Town. pic.twitter.com/XsM4VNT9GI
— PSAFLIVE (@PSAFLIVE) December 4, 2022
Although the assault case did not proceed due to lack of evidence, the racism allegations remain, News24 reported.
“The prosecutor declined to prosecute in the matter after studying the docket. The prosecutor concluded that there were no prospects of a successful prosecution. The video footage was of no assistance at all,” the report quoted National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila as saying.
“To be falsely accused of something that you are not guilty of … it’s quite bitter. It’s a heavy pill to swallow. Business has been very challenging at the moment,” the report quoted Papadakis as saying.
Papadakis plans to pursue legal action against Danca and his friend Logan, the report said.
The incident led to protests by the EFF and a negative impact on the pub’s business.
The racism allegations are currently being addressed in the Equality Court, with Logan emphasising that the racism issue should not be overshadowed by the dropped assault charges, said the report.
“The assault always played as a distraction from the matter which really needed the attention, which was the racism. Hank’s [Olde Irish Pub] attempted to hide behind the assault matter rather than address the racism. Now, the assault matter is gone, and we will have the racism matter addressed in the [Equality] Court, which is currently happening,” he reportedly said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
