A tale of two jols

THE LAW: we all have to live by it. The alternative is anarchy. But the least we can be afforded as citizens of this city and this country, is for the law to apply equally to all.

The action by authorities at a Khayelitsha venue at the weekend, which led to its shutdown, raises a number of curious questions. The owners of Rands Cape Town, a company started by two brothers, market their venue as an alternative to partying in the Cape Town CBD.

It doesn’t have a liquor licence, but revellers are allowed to consume their own XYZ on the premises, along with enjoying some braai meat and local entertainment.

The event has been dubbed “First Sundays” and is a showcase of life in the sprawling suburb as a melting pot of music, fashion and art.

It is in fact no different to “First Thursdays” in the Cape Town CBD, where patrons can visit various galleries while enjoying a glass of red wine.

The real difference is how the City of Cape Town has chosen to police these two similar events set in different worlds. If the Khayelitsha venue was shut down because of violations of liquor laws, why are patrons at “First Thursdays” allowed to drink wine inside and outside galleries?

It moved the Khayelitsha Development Forum to accuse the city of “attacking black entertainment and culture”.

THE ACTIONS are an affront to the politicians’ mantra that we need to encourage entrepreneurship, when at the first sign of enterprise the entrepreneurs are effectively shut down.

The forum also questions why residents of Khayelitsha need to travel outside their suburb to enjoy a few drinks and then risk driving home when public transport is limited to them late in the evening.

There is nothing wrong with enforcing the law and we would urge even more stringent enforcement of laws when necessary. But application of the law must be blind and equal.