Guys – if you insist on being a racist asshat, you will get called out and destroyed on the internet.

Seriously, was Penny Sparrow and Adam Catzavelos not enough of a cautionary tale?

And yet, here we are again, with another case of racism, this time in a Cape Town bar.

Actor and writer Lazola Gola says he was called a “monkey” by a computer developer on Wednesday night at The Power and the Glory in Cape Town.

Lazola is the brother of Loyiso Gola, the popular comedian, and pretty accomplished in his own right.

The reason? A dispute over a chair, reports News24.

The developer has denied using racist language, but admitted being involved in “hostility” with Gola…

Mark “Chippy” van Niekerk, who works as a developer for Media24’s 24.com division, has been banned for life from visiting The Power and The Glory bar on Kloof Nek Road.

Media24 has condemned the alleged incident of racism and has committed to investigating the matter.

The fight happened when both men wanted the same chair. When Gola claimed the chair, he went back to ignoring Van Niekerk, who started chirping him.

“He said to me ‘is that the BEE table?'”

Gola said the comment was made to his friend. He says he is only identifying the friend as white for the purpose of context.

“He was talking to my friend out of earshot of me [and said] ‘you and your monkey….’.

Gola said that was when he lost his cool. He said Van Niekerk’s bag and beer were taken outside by staff, and he (Gola) was just told to “calm down”.

The two faced off again on the pavement, with bouncers blocking Gola from Van Niekerk, and the two had a heated exchange. He (Gola) said he was not allowed to go back into the bar but eventually went back to fetch his belongings.

Van Niekerk says that there was “hostility” after he took Gola’s chair, but denies making the racist slur.

“I definitely did not call anyone a monkey. I can promise you that. I know for a fact I didn’t. There was definitely some hostility. To be honest I can’t recall the exact words, but I definitely did not say those words.”

He also alleges that Gola tried to punch him.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the bar said Van Niekerk had been banned for life and one bouncer had been suspended.

“The incident of last night has left us deeply sad and disappointed, especially in how it was mishandled by our security team.

Media24 has come forward to emphasise their “zero-tolerance policy regarding racism”, and have asked Gola to assist them in their investigation.

Old “Chippy” really needs to ask himself – was that chair worth it?

[source:news24]