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Incident at Cape Town club raises questions about what "right of admission reserved" really means

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A Facebook post about an alleged incident of racial discrimination at a local Cape Town club, The Loft, went viral yesterday.

Jarrod Jacobs took to Facebook to share details of the events which transpired this past Saturday at a friend's birthday celebration.

The group had invited the nanny who looks after the child of one of the friends to come along with them - a "decent, perfectly normal human being" as Jacobs described her (Bianca) in his post. 

Although there had been no entry denied by the bouncers at the door, the club owner of The Loft, Ryan Smith, allegedly asked the birthday girl to request that Bianca leave as she "doesn't fit the look of the club."

Read more: "Whites only" rental ad pulled after social media backlash

Facebook users immediately responded to the post in support of Jacobs' outrage and disappointment, suggesting that The Loft be boycotted.

What does The Loft's owner say?

When we spoke to Smith he was unable to comment on the matter. However, he posted a comment on Facebook categorically denying the allegations against him and says he is currently seeking legal advice:

Does Cape Town have a problem with racial profiling?

This is not the first time an establishment in Cape Town has come under fire for racial or classist profiling. Several other upmarket dining places, hotels and night clubs have faced social media backlash for explicit displays of racial profiling, begging the question; who exactly does "right of admission reserved" apply to and when?

Does it start applying when business owners feel they have reached their person of colour patron quota or as soon as a person of colour gives their name to the white voice taking their restaurant booking?

This was the case in 2015 when a black family made reservations at the lavish 12 Apostles Hotel Azure restaurant and was turned down as soon the father mentioned his surname.

Traveller24 reported how a white writer, Martina Philcox, investigated the restaurant's (unofficial) admission policy by trying to get a booking and was given no hassles, managing to secure a reservation for the same number of people the black family was trying to book for.

Asoka, a cocktail lounge on Kloof Street has also had incidents of racial profiling reported against it such as that of when a black man was only allowed entry into the venue once his white friend had arrived after being previously told by the bouncer that he could not enter.

And Clarke's restaurant social media image has still not recovered after the racist incident which took place there in December last year.

Read more: "My broe, I'm more than just your stereotype, ekse"

Whether such incidents are a matter of classism or racism or even both, they are still an unacceptable way to run businesses in a supposedly "new" South Africa.

Do you think this is just a Cape Town thing or is it a national problem? Tell us.

Disclaimer: The views of columnists published on W24 are their own and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of W24.

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