Horrific torture videos from Zanzou lounge have ignited calls for justice in South Africa.
Image: EFF
Videos that were allegedly taken inside the Zanzou lounge in Pretoria, Gauteng have left South Africans horrified and seething in anger.
The clips, which are highly graphic and depict severe human rights violations—including acts tantamount to kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted murder—show men hogtied and filmed naked with their limbs bound.
In others, they have t-shirts pulled over their heads, waterboarded, forced to masturbate, and bottles are inserted into their genitals.
As the gory videos went viral online, netizens demanded justice for the victims and called for closure of the establishment.
Not In My Name International, a social justice group, said that Zanzou should be shut down with immediate effect. "In a country plagued by gender-based violence (GBV), it's appalling that business establishments like Zanzou resort to such vile measures.
"This blatant disregard for human rights and dignity is unacceptable...Not In My Name International demands the immediate closure of the establishment pending a thorough investigation."
Women's advocacy group, Women For Change also said that it was appalled by the torture videos. "As an organisation committed to combating GBVF, we stand in solidarity with all victims and survivors of such violence, regardless of gender.
Sexual violence against men is equally horrific and must be addressed with the same urgency and condemnation. We demand the immediate arrest of the suspects and the closure of Zanzou Bar. No place that enables such atrocities should be allowed to operate," said the group.
Posting on X, an individual said that no amount of justification can account for the atrocious acts in the video. "So inhumane and disgusting! Arrest all of them and close it down," he wrote.
Psychoanalysing the acts of the torturers, another individual added: "A guy from Zanzou, suffering from toxic sexual desires with men, decided to experience these desires violently masquerading as a punishment. That was sexual violence that cannot be characterised as anything than what it is! This is sick."
"Putting wet t-shirts over people's heads to suffocate them is attempted murder. One of them in the videos even said 'don't move, you think we're playing here. you're gonna die', this is all over an unpaid bill. everyone involved needs to be arrested and Zanzou has to be shut down," posted someone else on the Elon Musk-owned platform.
"Those victims at Zanzou were supposed to wash dishes, cops were supposed to be involved and let the court take the matter. Their rights have been shamelessly violated bro, sexually violated."
IOL