More than R20k raised for ObzCafe waitress

Cape Town – Over R20 000 was raised within a 24-hour period for a waitress that was allegedly reduced to tears by a #RhodesMustFall activist this week.

The initiative took off after a R50 donation was made by Western Cape Social Development MEC Albert Fritz's spokesperson Sihle Ngobese. Roman Cabanac, who hosts a CliffCentral podcast, thereafter began a Twitter campaign that has raised more than R20 000 thus far for the woman.

[A total sum of R44 777.70 was eventually raised - PW]

Ngobese said he visited ObzCafe, where the waitress works on Friday to find her.

She had allegedly been reduced to tears by Ntokozo Qwabe‚ an RMF leader at Oxford University‚ who had posted a Facebook rant relaying he was pleased with not tipping the woman.

He had posted: "We are out at ObzCafe … and the time for the bill comes. Our waitress is a white woman. I ask … what the going rate for tips/gratuity is in these shores. They look at me very reluctantly and they say 'give me the slip‚ I'll sort that out'. I give them the slip.

"They take a pen & slip in a note where the gratuity/tip amount is supposed to be entered. The note reads in bold: "WE WILL GIVE TIP WHEN YOU RETURN THE LAND". The waitress comes to us with a card machine for the bill to be sorted out. She sees the note & starts shaking. She leaves us & bursts into typical white tears (like why are you crying when all we've done is make a kind request? lol!)."

Speaking to News24, Ngobese on Saturday said he felt dismay with Qwabe’s reaction.

“Qwabe is someone that claims to speak to the downtrodden and the disenfranchised yet he has the audacity to bully a working class young woman. Waitresses are not rich people. They are trying to make a meagre income to pursue further opportunities.

“I just wanted to make a small gesture to show South Africans that if we love and respect each other it makes our country great.”

Cabanac said he had become friends with Ngobese after hosting him on his show.

“Sihle is a friend of mine and known him due to fact on podcast that myself and Jonathan Witt host. We kept in touch with him. When new saw his post about donating to her on Twitter we decided to begin some form of fundraising.”

Cabanac said the response was phenomenal with R6 000 raised in the first five hours of the post going up.

“We just wanted to help the lady out. We later found out her mother has cancer and she is working to support her. This whole debacle shows how RMF lost the momentum they have.”

Cabanac said he had attacked on social media by the #RoadsMustFall supporters who labelled him ultra conservative.

“We are not trying to discredit them. They have done that to themselves. They have not distanced themselves from their leader.”

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.