On Tuesday I posted the story from Daily Maverick about investigative journalist Jacques Pauw claimed wrongful arrest for not paying his bill at an then unnamed Waterfront restaurant, arrested by the police, and spending part of a weekend in a holding cell. This was followed a few days later by a retraction of the story on Twitter by Pauw, describing a completely different set of circumstances, taking full responsibility for the events, and apologising to one and all involved.
Daily Maverick has been at great pains to explain its journalistic procedures and fact checking what took place when it allowed Pauw to post the story in its medium. Not only did Pauw not retract his story in the same publication in which his story first appeared, but Pauw’s actions caused the publication severe negative publicity. It has parted ways with Pauw as one of its contributing journalists. Continue reading →
Investigative journalist Jacques Pauw had the Cape Town restaurant industry abuzz about an opinion piece he wrote in Daily Maverick last week about his arrest by the police in the Waterfront in 6 February 2021, after his credit card payment for the balance of his R1600 restaurant Hill was declined. The article was shared in the Cape Town Restaurants: The Good, Bad, and Nastyyyy Facebook Group, and attracted more than 400 comments, almost all expressing outrage. I and others called for the restaurant and its manager to be named and shamed! Restaurant lovers were speculating as to which restaurant it could have been.
Just when news about restaurants closing down during Lockdown had almost ground to a halt, eight restaurants in Cape Town in the past week have announced their closure, some temporary, due to the new Adjusted Level 3 Lockdown which commenced on 29 December 2020. The Curfew starting at 21h00, Restaurants having to close at 20h00, and alcohol sales not being allowed, combined with diners’ fear of the greater spreadability of the mutated Corona Virus, is affecting restaurant turnovers harshly.