Club rejects news report

I am writing regarding the article placed in the Weslander newspaper, 25 May 2023 (“Pa van Vredenburg sterf ná skote by Saldanha-klub”).

In the article it is mentioned the deceased was in a private car at our establishment and was taken to hospital from there.

Firstly, your information is incorrect, the deceased was not taken to hospital from our establishment, but from further down the road on the corner of Captain’s Cabin. He was also not shot in front of or inside our establishment.

We have been working with the police since the incident came to light and provided them with the necessary footage.

Secondly, you have used our name in your article without permission or confirmed your “story” before publishing.

Your article gave the impression that the shooting occurred outside our club. From a business point of view this has caused a loss of income over the past weekend, the number of patrons that we usually have over a month-end week and weekend dropped by at least 200 people. We also had people asking if we could deliver food because it’s not safe to come to the club for food sales. These are just a few of the inconveniences caused.

We provide jobs for the locals and entertainment to the Saldanha Bay and surrounding areas.

Your article had the phones of our manager and office ringing off the hook.

The above being said, we ask for a public correction of said article.

BJ Rass, owner of Funky Lemon,

The information published in the article was confirmed by local police. The journalist also made an effort to make contact with the manager/owner of the club who’s identity was not known to us at that stage. The journalist was told by an employee that the manager will not be speaking to the media and refused to provide contact details. It is never the intention of the newspaper to cause harm but merely to report on an incident or matter that affects the community, or that is in the interest of its readers; in this case, a shooting incident that occurred in a public space and led to the death of 39-year-old Garth Williams who was well-known in his community. – Ed.