Minister Zizi Kodwa denies dodging bar bill in East London

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa is alleged to have left a pub in East London without paying the bill. His name is included on a viral list of patrons who dined and dashed from OHmi Gin Bar in the Eastern Cape city.

The list of 38 revellers, which is doing rounds on social media, surfaced this week with Kodwa listed as owing the bar R1 300. The minister has refuted the allegation.

The owner of the bar, Olwethu Hoyana, who also owns OHmi Restro Bar in Sandton, confirmed to The Citizen that the list was authentic but explained it landed in the public domain unintentionally after an employee trying to share it on the bar’s WhatsApp group accidentally put it as his WhatsApp status. 

It was then screenshot by someone else and is now spreading like wildfire across social media platforms. Some of the people on the list are getting tagged on social media posts.

“This matter is regrettable and I have been apologising to all those who called me after seeing their names on the list. We are running a business and our customers are the ones who support us. We would never intentionally embarrass them,” Hoyana said on Wednesday.  

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The businessman said he was doing his best to handle the situation and was also trying to protect the young accounts manager who accidentally leaked the list.

“I would have preferred this doesn’t get media attention as it will fuel it further,” Hoyana said during a telephone conversation.

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The entrepreneur’s establishments are popular among prominent figures, including politicians and celebrities.  

Hoyana, a former Metro FM marketing manager, told The Citizen he had been apologising to concerned customers who called him and regrets the mistake.

Called for comment, Zizi Kodwa’s spokesperson Litha Mpondwana described the bill incident as “misunderstanding”. He said it has since been sorted.  

“The minister doesn’t owe OHmi anything,” said Mpondwana.

Kodwa’s name was included on the list after he purportedly drank at the upmarket establishment housed at Hemmingway’s shopping mall on 26 November.

On the spreadsheet listing the bill dodgers, a mall security guard is listed as having racked up a R900 bill.

Others on the list include well known local DJs. The highest amount owed is R26 880 while the smallest is R60.

In total, the 38 owe Hoyana a staggering R66 865. The amount was racked up from 7 October until 3 December.

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