Zimbabwean man killed in brutal bakkie attack in Sandton as mjolo turns deadly

Joburg-based activist Moreboys Munetsi has intervened to assist the family of a Zimbabwean man, Emmanuel Mahamba, who was brutally murdered in a horrific incident which has sent shockwaves in South Africa.

In a video, widely shared on social media, Mahamba is seen seated on the road while a Ford Ranger runs over him repeatedly. He died at the scene.

Gauteng police said they were still searching for the motorist implicated in the brutal death of a man following a heated dispute.

Munetsi, a lawyer by profession, said he was providing legal support to the victim's family.

"For now I am giving the family legal support. At the same time, we were encouraging the Zimbabwean community in Joburg to raise funeral money through contributions. The funeral contributions are coming from the Zimbabwean community," Munetsi told IOL.

Munetsi is popular among the South African and Zimbabwean communities in Gauteng as an anti-crime and social cohesion activist.

He is also a successful businessman who runs an international company, Greathope Insurance.

Speaking about the incident, Munetsi said: "The body of Emmanuel has been repatriated already for burial in Zimbabwe."

Emmanuel's murder has attracted international news headlines, with many social media users questioning why the alleged killer has not been arrested.

The incident unfolded on April 5, 2025, in Rivonia, Sandton, and culminated in a tragic and violent confrontation that ended in Mahamba being run over by a Ford Ranger bakkie multiple times.

On his Facebook page, which has more than 144,000 followers, Munetsi held a live conversation with Ntombi, the woman who was involved in a relationship with Mahamba, while she lived with her other romantic partner.

The Ugandan man, who has two children with Ntombi, allegedly murdered Emmanuel in the bakkie attack.

"I agree that I once dated Emmanuel in January, and we broke up in February. Yes, we were in a relationship. We broke up because some Ugandans recorded a video of me when I was with the guy (Emmanuel). My baby daddy is a Ugandan. So I broke up with Emmanuel for my safety, for my kids and also for the sake of Emmanuel. I stopped talking to Emmanuel.

Ntombi said on the fateful day, Emmanuel and some Ugandan men who lived at the same house with, came over to her work premises. Ntombi's baby daddy was already at the business premises, where motorbike parts are sold.

"Later on, I heard some noise, people fighting. When I went outside, I asked Emmanuel what he was doing, but he did not even respond to me; he only looked at me. He was holding a stone, and he threw it away. He picked it again and hit the vehicle's (wind) screen. That is when my baby daddy got angry, went to Emmanuel and beat him," she said.

SUSPECT WANTED FOR MURDER

In the video, Ntombi can be seen screaming, frantically trying to stop the Ford Ranger driver.

Narrating how she fell in love with the deceased man, Ntombi said she met Emmanuel at Rivonia, Sandton, as he used to come to the shop that she works at, buying motorbike parts.

She said when she met Emmanuel this year, she was still involved with the Ugandan man although the relationship was experiencing some "difficulties". Ntombi was living with the Ugandan man when she started dating Emmanuel.

"I had to date Emmanuel," she told Munetsi in the Facebook live session.

Ntombi has two children with the Ugandan man and the two have been in a relationship for around three years.

The Ugandan men who came to the premises with Emmanuel, according to Ntombi, had previously recorded a video of her and Emmanuel and they had also informed Ntombi's other boyfriend, the Ugandan man who drives a Ford Ranger.

"Emmanuel had not told me that he was staying (at a house) with Ugandans. I was at Emmanuel's place and I went out, they recorded the video and sent it to my boyfriend, the baby daddy. In the video, I was walking while holding hands with Emmanuel. I then told Emmanuel that we had to end our relationship," she said.

Ntombi said she was confronted angrily by her baby daddy over her romantic relationship with Emmanuel. She said the Ugandan man was very angry, and she decided to end things with Emmanuel.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, said police received a complaint regarding the incident and upon arrival, they found a man lying on the side of the road with injuries all over his body.

"The paramedics declared him dead on the scene. According to information at hand, the victim reportedly argued with the shop owner and allegedly hit the shop owner's vehicle with a brick, breaking the windscreen. The shop owner reportedly came out and drove over his body several times before fleeing the scene," said Nevhuhulwi.