Suburban
A client of top Mt Pleasant restaurant has accused an unnamed white manager at the eatery of racism claiming the way the manager treated him and his wife was derogatory and racist but the restaurant has denied the allegations.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Nyari Munda, a Harare man who was allegedly attacked wrote a long complaint on Facebook exposing the abuse he and his wife suffered at the hands of the white manager.
“My wife and I went to get food at this establishment (Jam Tree), and on getting there, we asked if we could park in the back car park by the golf course whilst we wait for our food. The waiter told us it was okay and we should park in the usual spot.
“We drove there and parked on the grass literally three metres away from the owner’s car. There was a gardener there watering the grass and he didn’t seem to have an issue with where we parked.
“To my surprise, this white South African guy (the owner), came from nowhere and started yelling at us for parking on wet grass. The guy called us dumb, stupid and all sorts of derogatory words.
“I urged him to communicate properly since we are regular customers of over eight years, and we are here to promote his business. He jumped right back into a crazy fit and said ‘we don’t need people like you supporting my business’.
“The guy was so heated at some point I thought he wanted to fight me. He kept pulling crazy faces, taunting me, storming away then coming back as if he’s about to fight. Once again, I kept calm and watched this mad man talk to us like we are worthless.
“I apologised again and cautioned him to address clients nicely but he wouldn’t have it and started with the insults again.
“He then stormed into Jam Tree, where we heard him yelling at the workers at the top of his voice.
“Soon after the waiters including the chef rushed to the car park and started apologising on this guy’s behalf. They begged us to stay but at this point, we were fed up.
“Even the gardener was shocked at this guy’s conduct but he just watched in amazement.
“He openly shouts at his workers in front of guests and uses a lot of racist derogatory statements. A year and half ago the same guy insulted me when I complained about my meal.
“I threatened to go on social media and he said ‘it’s people like you we don’t want here…’ He has no respect and he thinks this is South Africa. The workers always look terrified when he’s around and he talks to them like dogs. Jam Tree was a better place before this new management took over. After nine years of being a loyal client, I don’t think I’ll ever go back there again.”
But the Jam Tree issued a statement apologising to Nyari and his wife. They confirmed that the incident did happen but denied that it was a racist attack.
“To all our loyal customers, as most of you are aware, there has been a post circulating on social media in which one of our managers has been accused of racism. Of course, when something like this happens, there is not a clear path to response as it is a very sensitive subject in today’s society.
“The first thing we would like to put out there is whilst the owners of Jam Tree acknowledge that an incident took place, we vehemently deny it was a racist attack in any way.
Jam Tree prides itself as being a multi-cultural venue. This shines through in everything we do.
“From our music policy to the food we serve, the drink brands we support including many local products, we are a proudly multi-cultural venue.
“The manager in question has been uplifting staff in the industry by giving free bartender flaring lessons every week since he joined us.
“Most importantly, we would like to strongly emphasise that we are not racist. We, however, will work tirelessly to make sure there’s mutual understanding between management and patrons.
“We also sincerely apologise to Nyari and his wife for the unfortunate event,” read the statement issued by The Jam Tree.
The incident generated heated debate on social media with some Harare residents lambasting the restaurant for the way it treats some of its customers while others said they have been clients of the eatery and have not experienced any problems.
Nyari confirmed in a Facebook post that the manager had sincerely apologised and they had made peace.
“In light of The Jam Tree saga, I would like to thank everyone who stood behind me and supported me.
“The manager has sincerely apologised and has asked for forgiveness from all my valued friends, followers and all who shared their valued opinion on this matter. We have therefore made peace as he realises the importance of Zimbabwean unity and value of the customer. Look forward to better service all round.”
