Hank’s Pub’s recent victory against Thabiso Danca, Jordan Pelser, and Christopher Michael Logan has come to a close, and the main instigator didn’t even pitch for his own court case.

The court's decision highlights the severe repercussions of racial witchhunts. A couple of white communists and a lazy black grifter trying to shake down an old white pub for online clout in 2022 finally backfired. Logan, a former EFF youth member, has been inactive on social media since the start of the trial, and has removed posts referring to this story from his timeline.

The fourth plaintiff, Freddy Kalenga, a doorman, was performing his duty to prevent underage entry when he asked Thabiso Danca, the first defendant, to verify his age. This simple request escalated into a confrontation where Danca accused Kalenga of racial discrimination, claiming he was denied entry because he was black and unaccompanied by a white person.

The following day, the third defendant, Christopher Logan, confronted the pub's management on camera, slinging accusations of exclusion on the basis of racism, an issue covered in salivating detail by the nation’s predominantly anti-white press, leading to significant public outcry and reputational damage for the plaintiffs.

Logan barely bothered to defend himself. Despite initial representation and requests for postponement, Logan failed to show up, leading to a default judgment in favor of the plaintiffs.

The judgment, delivered on the 13th of November by Acting Judge Van Zyl, detailed Logan's defamatory allegations, which painted Latari House as a racist establishment with discriminatory entry policies. The accusations led to public protests, threats of violence, and the temporary closure of the pub during one of its busiest periods, resulting in substantial financial loss. Furthermore, the personal reputation of the owners, Viron and John Papadakis, was severely tarnished, affecting their business and social standing in the community.

The court awarded general damages to each plaintiff due to the defamation. Latari House, the owner company, received R250,000 for general damages and an additional R500,000 for special damages reflecting the loss of business. Viron and John Papadakis each received R250,000 for the personal defamation they suffered.

Defamation law in South Africa, like that of the United States, and unlike that of the United Kingdom, places the burden of proof on the plaintiff, who must prove that the statements were defamatory. The plaintiff must demonstrate that their claims are a) true and made for the public benefit, or b) that it was an honest opinion or criticism based on true facts.

While South African courts tend to award relatively modest sums in defamation cases, the amounts here were significant, reflecting the severity of the reputational damage inflicted.

With any luck, and with the international social climate shifting somewhat against the predelictions of the Western Left, such witch hunts may become less common going forward.

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