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WC fans with foreign accents being charged triple for drinks in Pretoria

By Super Admin

Johannesburg, June 18 (ANI): The ongoing World Cup in South Africa is seeing bars in Pretoria tripling the price of a drink, especially when it's being paid for by a tourist.

Martin White, organiser of the "month-long party" at Hatfield Square during the Soccer World Cup admits that foreigners do pay more, but it is only to compensate for the R1.6m that he claims they had to pay for additional security guards, among other things.

White reacted to the findings of a Beeld investigation, which showed that foreign soccer fans at this local watering hole paid a lot more for their drinks - due to their accents and the fact that they didn't have a so-called "loyalty card".

If you ordered in Afrikaans, a double brandy and Coke cost R18, but if you ordered with a foreign accent, you paid R55 for the same drink at the same bar.

"If I can ensure the guy's security and he pays more for his beer, then I have done my job," 24.com quoted White as saying.

According to him, the money was also used to pay for paramedics, cleaners and entertainment.

White said "regular clients" could show their South African IDs and buy a loyalty card, which ensured they paid normal prices for drinks and gained free access to the square. The card costs R50.

Mmatsatsi Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of SA, said this kind of trading was illegal.

"It is not at all common that foreigners have to pay more than local consumers. I am surprised to hear this," Marobe said.

Brett Dungan, CEO of the Hospitality Association of South Africa said this was not illegal but disappointing.

"They have to watch out against discriminating against people. It is a short-sighted approach," he stated. (ANI)

Story first published: Thursday, August 24, 2017, 17:44 [IST]
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