Anger at Cele’s nightclub raid

Everson Luhanga

The owners of the Blackdoor nightclub in Sandton claim they were already closed on Saturday night when an army of law enforcement barged in.

The massive raid on the popular hangout was personally supervised by Police Minister Bheki Cele.

Many customers were pushed out without paying and gallons of alcohol were confiscated.

Apart from Cele, Gauteng provincial commissioner lieutenant general Elias Mawela and City of Johannesburg Mayor Jeff Makhubo were also present.

The club owners told Scrolla.Africa that they are working on getting the confiscated alcohol back and compensation for the losses which they estimate at more than R1.5 -million.

Blackdoor’s brand manager, Davies Bassey, said the raid not only hurt the club but also over 100 families who rely on it for work.

Bassey said the police were working on a tipoff from jealous people who “don’t want black Africans to be successful in Africa’s richest city, Sandton.”

Bassey said that he personally told the DJ to switch off the music by 11 o’clock. 

“We have video proof that we were not operating after that.

“But we couldn’t throw out people who were finishing up their drinks. We were waiting for everyone to leave our premises so that we could close our doors,” he said.

When a Scrolla.Africa team arrived, the club was in ruins, with broken bottles, depressed cleaners and heartbroken owners.

Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said police have been receiving anonymous complaints about the club but were denied access.

“Last night’s raid gave the club owners no choice but to open their door.”

spot_imgspot_imgspot_imgspot_img

Recent articles