Nelspruit shopping centre faces backlash over dress code telling women to 'keep your privates private'

Visitors at Sonpark Shopping Centre in Nelspruit are fuming over a new dress code that many argue is unfair, especially towards women.

The shopping centre, owned by developer Kobus Jacobs, is on a private road. It offers a mix of hair and beauty services, fitness centres, restaurants and coffee shops, and is now turning heads for its strict dress and appearance rules.

The updated code on their website demands that everyone dress modestly, keeping a "respectful, family-oriented environment" in mind. 

Some of the specific rules include:

• No revealing or indecent clothing. This includes: overly revealing crop tops, short skirts/shorts, see-through fabrics, clothing that exposes undergarments, or any attire considered overly provocative.
• Shirts/tops and footwear must be worn in all public areas.
• Clothing with offensive, obscene, or hateful wording/images is not allowed.
• For safety reasons, no face-coverings, helmets, or hoods that obscure identity (except religious headwear).

The website also states that "management reserves the right to refuse entry or request any person to leave whose conduct, appearance or behaviour is deemed inappropriate."

Anger escalated when a poster targeting women was shared on Reddit. 

The poster advised women to "keep your privates private".

"For the women: Keep your privates private. Please dress appropriate and think about other people. If we feel you are exposing yourself too much we will kindly ask you to leave the premises," read the poster. 

Online reactions have been strong, with users on Reddit sharing their discontent over the new dress code.

@im_not_a_vampir3 commented: "BS. Let women wear what they want. Who will judge whether the clothing is 'appropriate' or not? Because different people have different standards, and some might find shorts above the knee to be offensive, while others might be scandalised by the shoulders. Also, if they're going to set dress codes, why is it only for women?"

@Faerie42 commented: "Our local spar deny access to people wearing pajamas, they didn’t put a note up, though, just informed the public in the local newspaper, stuck that up and gently turned them away."

@KeenyKeenz wrote: "Pathetic code. Urgh. Let women wear what the F they want to."

@Least_Statistician44 said: "I'd urge the men of the area to visit the mall wearing mini skirts and see if centre management complain. What a load of bulls***."

Jacque Lombard, restaurant owner of Urban House at the shopping centre and a fashion designer, said: "From the restaurant's point of view, it happened more and more that even customers were complaining about the dress code, especially the youngsters/students that's coming to Sonpark and to the restaurants.

"Remember, it is still a family restaurant and we also get professionals getting together after a hard day's work, just sitting and chatting and relaxing.

"We also have a lot of government officials. Some of the youngsters saw the calibre of business people coming together in Sonpark, so then they started to come there as well. 

"We had to buy extra throws, and ask, 'Please, can you put this over your shoulders?'. Other ladies were complaining. We have lost a big market of professionals who don't want to come to the restaurants anymore because of this. It was very bad; there is very little left to the imagination."

He added that because of the numerous complaints, all the restaurant owners agreed that they are starting to attract the wrong target market.

Being a designer, Lombard also commented on the culture of dressing in South Africa. 

"We found that more and more people are starting to dress down. Because of the heat in the lowveld, people will go to a formal function with shorts and sneakers.

"So, overall, it is a problem that we have in the community. More and more each day, you will also see adults go to the Spar barefoot. I'm talking about professional people, so overall it is not just a problem in Sonpark but in South Africa."