Director and shareholder at Zanzou claims he wasn’t aware of the atrocities committed by bouncers

JOHANNESBURG - One of the owners of the Pretoria nightclub exposed for torturing patrons claims he wasn’t aware of the atrocities committed by bouncers at his establishment.

Neo Moela, a director and shareholder at Zanzou, addressed the media Tuesday morning, sharing his perspective on the disturbing incidents. 

READ: Zanzou nightclub briefing: Owner apologises to assaulted patrons

Two weeks ago, several videos went viral on social media showing bouncers physically and sexually assaulting customers at Zanzou.

A visibly uneasy Moela sat uncomfortably with his father Joshua Moela to his left and his lawyer Zola Majavu to his right as he denied being aware of the torture of patrons at Zanzou.

He insisted that he only became aware of the incidents when they went viral, despite Zanzou management admitting in a statement two weeks ago that they knew about the assault of patrons.

Through his seasoned defense attorney, Majavu, Moela maintained that these incidents were unfamiliar to him, even though he is a director and shareholder at Zanzou.

"He also instructed to place on record that he, as young South African entrepreneur and as a human being with the family ethos that he was raised under, does not condone that acts and in fact, he condemns them," said Majavu..

When journalists asked Majavu to clarify whether his client was aware of the incidents, given the numerous inconsistencies that emerged during the briefing, he declined to provide a clear answer.