Police cowered behind their vehicle as notorious businessman Sphamandla Mabonga and his bodyguards engaged in a deadly shootout with security guards outside a popular Sandton restaurant on Thursday night.
When the shooting stopped, two people were dead at the scene and five wounded. Among the wounded was Mabonga, who was taken to Morningside Clinic — in a “bad condition” — where he later died.
This is according to a police incident report detailing the events outside the Solo restaurant. Among those wounded was a community policing forum patroller, who is in a stable condition in hospital.
According to the report — seen by the Sunday Times — two police officers, responding to a complaint, were told by the manager of Solo that a man had tried to enter with a firearm, which was against the restaurant’s firearm policy.
When the police spoke to the man — identified as Mabonga — he took out the firearm, “made it safe” and gave it to one of his bodyguards. The police officers thanked him for co-operating and went to verify his firearm licence, which he had told them was in his car.
As they were doing so, a security guard came out of the restaurant and Mabonga allegedly started shouting and swearing at him. According to the report, Mabonga then ran towards the security guard and his bodyguards tried to stop him. Gunfire broke out and the police took cover behind their vehicle.
The police report states: “Once the gunfire stopped, we went to attend to the injured and noticed four people had been shot and were lying on the ground. We went to secure the people who had been shot. We called for backup and for paramedics.
There was a guy dressed in black wearing a bulletproof vest; he ran past Green House with a rifle.
— Manavraj Singh, witness
“One of the bodyguards came back with his hands up. We were shouting at him to get on the ground. He went to his car, which was parked at the entrance of the restaurant, and got something out of his car and then entered the restaurant. There was more gunfire inside the restaurant.”
The police could not see who was shooting inside the restaurant, but when the gunfire stopped, they entered and found the bodyguard had been shot dead.
Mabonga was notorious for his bodyguards and his penchant for personal firepower. He had racked up a string of police charges involving firearms, and was banned from several nightclubs in the Sandton area because of his behaviour.
“He was banned at other restaurants, and at [Solo] there is a gun-free policy. Patrons ... are not allowed to bring any guns,” said Pascalina Makwela, spokesperson for the Eris Property Group, the managing agents for the 24 Central centre where Solo is located.
Makwela said there was an incident last year when Mabonga and others had visited the centre in several vehicles, taken out firearms and started dancing.
“I believe [this] was one of the reasons why most of the tenants felt that they didn’t want him on their premises.”
Mabonga — who made headlines after giving his then girlfriend, reality TV star Londie London, a stolen BMW — was arrested in January last year after he and three others tried to force their way into the Tempo luxury restaurant in Sunninghill.
Police said he allegedly assaulted a bouncer and drew a firearm, prompting a shootout in which he and another person were wounded.
He spent time in hospital under police guard, and was charged with two counts of attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. But the case was later provisionally withdrawn.
Manavraj Singh, who witnessed Thursday’s shootout, told the Sunday Times his car had been hit by several bullets.
Singh said he and his friends were sitting on a patio at the nearby Green House restaurant when they heard gunshots coming from Solo. They ran inside and hid under a DJ booth. About 10 minutes later, more gunshots rang out.
Singh said the scene afterwards was chaotic, with many police vehicles and ambulances.
“I saw one [person who was shot] right here by my car and paramedics were there. I am not sure if he was alive,” he said.
His car had been hit, with the rear window and the right driver’s mirror damaged by bullets.
“There was a guy dressed in black wearing a bulletproof vest; he ran past Green House with a rifle. Then there was the second round of gunshots and after that the police and the security company came and took us out to safety.”
Gauteng police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a case of murder and attempted murder was being investigated. No arrests have been made.
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