Members of uMkhonto weSizwe Party march from Zanzou Nightclub to Brooklyn police station in Hatfield to demand closure of of all nightclubs owned by Stephan Cohen. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
By Tswelopele Makoe
THE “illegal” Zanzou Bar Lounge in Pretoria is under siege after horrific acts of sexual abuse, assault, and torture of patrons were recently captured on several viral videos.
In the shocking videos, several young black men can be seen subjected to severe beatings, waterboarding, and sexual assault—among other grotesque forms of torture—by Zanzou personnel.
The Tshwane Metro has this week come out with guns blazing, declaring that Zanzou Bar Lounge does not have the necessary permits to operate as a “nightclub”.
The viral videos from the controversial bar lounge have sparked widespread outrage across the nation and beyond, calling for swift retributive justice. This has led to an investigation into the establishment, met by an immediate shutdown and suspension of their liquor licence.
Several criminal cases have now been opened in relation to the incident—including cases opened by three of the victims aged between 20 and 22—and the SAPS have since launched a nationwide manhunt for the eight perpetrators seen in the video.
This harrowing incident has sparked widespread discourse about the safety, accountability, and repercussions for entertainment venues, many of whom are known for frequently exacting their own personal forms of punishment on their guests. Both the owners and the majority of employees of Zanzou are foreign nationals.
In South Africa, where illegal immigration is a dire problem, many perpetrators of crimes such as these remain untraceable and are never found as they are undocumented.
In addition to countless civil society groups’ demands for immediate legal action against the club and those responsible, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Xola Nqola, stated: “These practices are a common occurrence in many white-owned and foreign-owned nightclubs across the country. No patrons set out to experience what is being perpetuated and recorded. If accountability means arresting managers and owners of the establishment, that must happen.”
Additionally, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has condemned the alleged incidents, calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCD) stated that the video exhibits a gross violation of the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution.
In fact, the DJCD outlined that contravention of our national Constitution’s Section 10, which explicitly affirms that everyone has the right to have their dignity respected and protected, while Section 12 guarantees freedom and security of the person, including “the right to be free from all forms of violence, torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment”.
On the night of this viral video, dozens of matric learners were reported to be present at Zanzou. Although the boys that have since opened legal cases against the club were approximately 20 years old, this incident, which included a larger group of young boys, draws attention to the violations of children’s rights as well.
This video was not only speaking to forms of torture that are arbitrarily used by nightlife establishments but also the abuses that are faced by minors who are caught in these spaces. What kind of reparations can be offered when the dignities and rights of young people have been strewn across the internet for all to see?
This deplorable incident has sparked valuable discussions on the physical implementation of our rights and constitution, beyond the rule of law alone. It has also shone a stark light on the responsibilities of nightlife establishments in ensuring the safety of their patrons.
This incident is not merely an infraction of the inherent civil rights embedded in the Constitution; it is underscoring the heinous acts that countless individuals frequently contend with in public establishments—especially of the nightlife variety.
What is clear here is that the critical importance of robust security measures and vigilant oversight in venues such as these has been largely overlooked and shoved to the wayside for far too long.
It is not only on the onus of local policing but also the highest level of governance in ensuring that owners and personnel of public establishments are professionally trained and accountable for public safety in their own establishments.
In fact, Tshwane MMC of Health, Tshegofatso Mashabela, stated: “We need by-law enforcement—to check if all these premises are compliant with our law enforcement operations.”
In addition to this, the DA in Tshwane has revealed that Zanzou was zoned as a Category 1 business, preventing it from operating as a nightclub, and thereby contravening the City of Tshwane’s zoning regulations. Ultimately, the abuse and torture of innocent patrons at the hands of nightclub owners and their employees is an unforgivable crime that must be met with severe punishment.
Nightclubs are spaces where people come to unwind and enjoy themselves, not to face violence, humiliation, or torture. If the rule of law were sufficiently upheld, incidents such as this would not take place as frequently as they seemingly do.
Establishments such as Zanzou are clear examples of the ways in which businesses can become breeding grounds for unchecked power, exploitation, and criminality. It is not enough to merely condemn such actions; it is crucial that the law stand firm against those who use their position of authority to terrorise vulnerable individuals.
Nightclub owners and their employees must be held accountable. The legal frameworks put in place to ensure that any form of abuse, whether physical or psychological, must be implemented by our law enforcement and institutions. For far too long, criminality in South Africa has been undermined and widely unpunished. The lack of accountability and justice in our society is leading to the failure of human rights in our society. And ultimately, human rights violations flourish wherever the rule of law is snoozing.
Incidents such as these would not be taking place if the rule of law was respected and violators knew that abuses would result in extreme consequences. The message must be clear: the abuse of power in public and entertainment venues should not, and will not, be tolerated. It must be severely criminalised.
We must create a culture where safety, respect, and dignity are guaranteed for all patrons, or else we risk enabling more cruelty, neglect, and lawlessness in these spaces. This is not only an issue of public safety but also an issue of criminality that frequently goes unchecked in our society, and surely, this will be our collective downfall as a free society.
We need to remember that a video, no matter how long, captures a singular moment in time. We must question what else was taking place during this incident that was not captured on video camera. We need to question the efficacy of our public safety institutions in eradicating establishments that are gravely violating their customers.
South Africa is renowned for having the best Constitution in the entire world. It is pitiful that in such a nation, incidents such as these, exhibiting blatant torture and human rights contraventions, are taking place at all. This is a transgression of the laws of the land, of our democracy, and everyone who participates in this level of violence should be mercilessly punished and ostracised.
Suspending businesses and retracting liquor licences is simply not enough. The entire establishment needs to be held accountable. Human rights have been brutally violated, and the exposure of this establishment needs to serve as a catalyst to overturn lawlessness and abuses in all entertainment establishments.
This Zanzou video has served as a chilling reminder of the dangers lurking in spaces that should foster enjoyment, not fear—and our own public institutions that allow violence like this to flourish. The victims of this senseless brutality deserve immediate justice, and our society deserves a future where they can go out without the fear of cruelty and torture.
The government’s first duty and highest obligation must be uninhibited public safety, and public safety should be known not only as a phrase in our legislation but also as a physical and fundamental human right.
* Tswelopele Makoe is a gender & social justice activist and the editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher and columnist, published weekly in the Sunday Independent, Independent Online (IOL), Global South Media Network (GSMN.co.za), and Eswatini Daily News. She is also an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own.
** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media, or IOL.