Allegations of racism against Azure colour social media blue

7 Jan 2015

Nothing gets social media users more hackled than allegations of racism - especially when it's a top-class restaurant allegedly dishing it out...

South Africa may well be celebrating 20 years of democracy and the end of the apartheid regime, but sadly allegations of racism still resound - the latest is against Cape Town's iconic restaurant situated at the 12 Apostles Hotel, Azure.

TimesLive succinctly sums up the gist of the complaint in this tweet:

Table for 6 please: Black person
Azure: We're full
Table for 6: White person
Azure: No problem
http://t.co/HUjksSDt1u pic.twitter.com/kqnsWlYU7F
- Times LIVE (@TimesLive) January 6, 2015

If that wasn't clear, here's the story, as the media tells it:

Tumi Mpofu and her family claim to have phoned to make a booking for a table of six on 27 December. Sensing something fishy about the restaurant's claim 'we're full', Mpofu got her white friend Martina Philcox to phone and make the same request. Surprise surprise, Philcox managed to secure the 'non-existent' table for six for her friend.

The 12 Apostles mountain range above Camps Bay © Suwatpo – 123RF.com

Compounding the racism rumours is the allegation that on arrival the following evening, the Mpofus were told there was no such booking, even though Philcox had phoned again to confirm.

News24 reports that the 12 Apostles general manager Michael Nel called it a 'reservations error'.

The result? Social media is ablaze with white-hot fury, dark blue depression and angry red calls to boycott the restaurant.

Click here for Philcox' side of the story, and here for the 12 Apostles' official response.

Misunderstanding? Overreaction? Valid claim? Leave your thoughts below...

For more:

TimesLive: Blacks get blues at Azure
iAfrica.com: Top Cape hotel in racism row
AllAfrica.com: What Happened When a Black Family Tried to Make Reservations At a Posh Cape Town Restaurant
News24: Posh Cape Town hotel under fire for alleged racism

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Leigh Andrews

About Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.