Fellow South Africans

I am writing this petition to ask for your support in the fight against discrimination.

On October 17th, 2020, I was excited to dine at the luxurious Durban Undersea Club, located in a stunning 400 million rands public promenade. However, I was unjustly denied access to the restaurant, which leases its property from the Durban Point Development Company (which is said to be a 50:50 joint venture between the eThekwini Municipality and ROC Point (Pty) Ltd) and Point Water Sports Club (which comprises of the Durban Undersea Club and Durban Ski Boat Club), despite being a taxpayer. When I asked for a day pass, my request was denied. It was only after a thorough investigation that I discovered that day passes were easily available, but not for someone who looked like me.

This discrimination was especially hurtful for me because it coincided with my arrival home in Durban after spending eight years studying architecture in America. I was eager to come home and feel welcomed. Instead, I faced a level of bias and discrimination that shattered my sense of security and belonging in my own city.

The membership process for the club is deeply problematic, requiring you to submit your photo and your address then having two current members cosign for you, and a committee that makes a decision based on their subjective opinions decides whether or not you can make it. This arbitrary process, based on the opinions of a group that lacks diversity, can lead to incidents of racial bias like the one I experienced. Adding insult to injury, the club's exorbitant annual fees make membership unattainable for many individuals, particularly Black South Africans who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Sadly, my experience is not unique. Others have also reported similar discrimination at the club. So I reached out to the municipality and met with the Deputy City Manager to address the issue, but no action was taken after an investigation was conducted.

As a result, I have now started this petition calling for:

1. eThekwini Municipality to publish the outcome of its investigation into Durban Undersea Club;
2. eThekwini Municipality to cancel it's lease agreement with the Durban Undersea Club for violating the constitutional rights of Black South Africans to equality and dignity; and
3. the Durban Undersea Club to amend it's club constitution so as to remove the arbitrary discretion with which its committee is empowered to approve new memberships and to explicitly state that the membership process must uphold the constitutional rights and values of non-discrimination and equality. That must equally be reflected by the Club's day pass practices and/or any other practices and and the club is to make public their percentage of membership who are non-white.

Please sign this support me to end spacial discrimination in South Africa 29 years into democracy. #EndSpacialDiscrimination

***The cover image for this campaign features Wandile Mthiyane and Dr. Michael Sutcliffe, a former eThekwini Municipality City Manager who is a strong supporter of our cause to make public spaces accessible to everyone, regardless of their race. The photo was taken during one of our Anti-Racist Parties protests, where we engaged in discussions about what a post-apartheid Durban should look like.

*That the restaurant is run by the Point Water Sports Club which is compromised of the Durban Undersea Club and the Durban Ski Boat Club as stated on the Club’s website.