‘Thabo Bester was here’: Trendy restaurant accused of ‘glamorising rapist’

Popular restaurant and bar Tiger’s Milk has come under fire over the imagery depicted in one of its branches, condoning serial killers and rapists like Thabo Bester and Ted Bundy.

This comes amid public outcry against the scourge of gender-based violence after nine women’s bodies were found in and around the Kempton Park area in the past few weeks.

TIGER’S MILK UNDER FIRE OVER ‘THABO BESTER’ BATHROOM IMAGERY

In recent days, a video of a Tiger’s Milk patron filming the interior design of a branch in Roodepoort went viral.

In the clip, the TikToker @cwayitajemsana_ filmed a clip of her walking into a unisex bathroom at the popular restaurant and bar.

The interior design featured dark walls, with prison-like decor including framed mugshots of high-profile figures, tally marks scribbled on the wall, and a bright neon sign that read: “Balls to the wall”.

Most disturbing were the references to convicted serial killer and rapists; “Thabo Bester was here”, and “Ted Bundy was here”

Another sadistic quote read: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells of victory”.

The woman described the environment as “creepy”, adding, “I really don’t understand the theme or what they were going for. It made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable as a young woman in South Africa”.

@cwayitajemsana_ Am I being dramatic or is this inappropriate? #tigersmilkza #awareness #inappropriate ♬ original sound – cwayitajemsana_

OFFICIAL RESPONSE

The clip of the Tiger’s Milk restaurant  – and specifically the mention of convicted criminal Thabo Bester, once dubbed the “Facebook rapist”- upset many social media users.

Many shared their views online, accusing the restaurant of “glamorising a criminal”, “advertising rape”, and being “tone deaf”.

“How on earth can Tiger’s Milk think that Thabo Bester and Ted Bundy wallpaper in a unisex bathroom is a decor choice?! In an era of GBVF?” asked one popular content creator.

In the comments section, Tiger’s Milk responded to the backlash with the following statement:

“Thank you for sharing this with our marketing team. We would like to extend our sincere apologies regarding the themed bathrooms as we have always aimed to be a brand which is ‘Restricted to Everyone’.

“The store’s military theme was carried through to the unisex bathrooms which was earmarked as the ‘prison’ in the initial interior designs. 

“We acknowledge that the names of serial killers in our restrooms, in a country’s volatile climate towards women, can be communicated as deeply insensitive

Tiger’s Milk added that its operations teams had “responded swiftly” to remove the text, particularly referencing Thabo Bester.