Annine van der Merwe

Disappointing experience at Pearlys

What a disappointing and unfortunate experience at Pearly Beach which I feel compelled to share because of the horrific nature of the incident. I visited the restaurant with friends on Saturday. Before leaving, we visited the bathroom. As the last one of my friends wanted to use the bathroom, she noticed a phone being held by someone in the cubicle next to us, clearly indicating that it was recording. All of us immediately informed one of the waiters, who informed her manager. He informed us that he would handle it as professional as possible. However, in the same breath he said that we should please not make this situation worse than it already was. He undoubtedly and very clearly dismissed our concerns and our right to privacy. After the waiter went into the bathroom, she confirmed that there were definitely more than one person in the cubicle. Eventually two young girls emerged from the cubicle. The manager made no attempt whatsoever to even try and When the two girls left the bathroom there was no attempt by the manager to question the girls, despite our visible distress. I confronted the girls myself. When I confronted the manager later on, his defense was that he did not have the right or permission to confront the girls as they were minors. The girls were most definitly atleast 13 -16 years old making them more than capable of realising what they were doing. Every day children are being exploited and trafficked. These two girls most definitely did not realise that they could be victims themselves if they pursued this kind of behaviour. The manager should have called their parents and informed them of what happened. We on the other hand did not receive as much as an apology for what happened on the premises. I am shocked and apalled by the whole situation and this restaurant would not have the privilege of serving me again.