Monday, February 10, 2025

September 10, 2018

EFF’s Adam Catzavelos Protest In Jozi Has Unfortunate Consequences [Video]

Last week, the EFF headed to the Smokehouse and Grill restaurant in Braamfontein to put on a show. Will they consider the result a win?
06 September 2018. The EFF marched to Steakhouse and Grill restaurant in Braamfontein today to demand that the establishment change in their ways of doing business and the way they treat staff member. This comes after Adam Catzavelos made racist remarks on social member about black people. The manager Steven Ford took the demands and promised the EFF he will pass on the demands to the owners of the establishment. Picture: Moeletsi Mabe/ Sunday Times

The 24/7 news coverage of all things Adam Catzavelos might have subsided, but the anger has not.

We’ve heard from most of the parties involved in the matter, including the family’s de facto spokesperson Nic Catzavelos, but the EFF are still baying for blood.

Last week, they decided to protest at the Smokehouse and Grill restaurant in Braamfontein, a business in which Adam had held a minority stake in before he used his one brain cell to spout hate.

Footage of the protest was shared on Twitter:

In the wake of those protests, the restaurant has had to close its doors, with this via the Herald:

The restaurant said in a statement on Sunday that this was despite the fact that Catzavelos had no operational involvement in the business…

The Smokehouse and Grill statement said that the actions of the EFF‚ who had invaded the restaurant on Thursday‚ had further compounded bad trading conditions‚ forcing it to close its doors‚ resulting in the loss of 29 jobs.

It said the EFF had threatened The Smokehouse and Grill staff members‚ “even surrounding one manager holding steak knives they had picked up from the restaurant tables”…

“Threats to our staff and disruption to customers from the EFF compounded the reputational damage at the operation‚ which resulted in its closure.

…“It beggars belief that businesses can be thus threatened‚ seemingly without a thought for the people who will be most affected – and the families they support.”

The real bone of contention, according to the statement, is that Adam no longer has any affiliation with the business:

Catzavelos had been fired from the family business‚ with immediate effect‚ on August 21‚ the day his comments came to the restaurant and public’s attention‚ more than two weeks before the EFF decided to mobilise against the restaurant.

“On August 22‚ the company publicly disassociated itself from his utterances via a media statement‚ informing the market he had been dismissed and his shareholding in the family business and The Smokehouse and Grill was being unwound,” the statement said.

“The Smokehouse and Grill acted swiftly and decisively in managing the racism scandal – and‚ to reiterate‚ it did so more than two weeks before the EFF decided to disrupt trading at the restaurant.”

…“As such‚ 29 people have lost their jobs‚ as well as the option to participate in an employee share ownership trust we had been investigating for the 25% stake formerly held by Adam Catzavelos.

Hmm – almost like the EFF are just interested in scoring cheap political points. Reminds me of all the protests that went on at H&M, where the people left to pick up the pieces were those the EFF claim to represent.

All the while, we count the days until Julius Malema launches another tirade.

[source:herald]