A video showing Zimbabwean businessman and socialite Lawrence Chamurwa Mudzinganyama threatening to shoot three women inside a Sandton restaurant has triggered anger across South Africa, where fear over violence against women has intensified after a series of bodies were found in Gauteng.
Mudzinganyama was filmed confronting the women at Vlamo Restaurant at Sandton Gate in Johannesburg after his advances were rejected. The confrontation took place near the ladies’ powder room, where the women told him he was not allowed to enter. The exchange quickly became threatening, with the businessman telling them he could put a bullet in them and murder them.
“I could put a bullet in you now. I do not play. I will murder you now and walk,” he said in the recording.
The women continued recording the confrontation. Mudzinganyama dismissed the phones and then criticised the way he had been rejected.
“Recording is nothing,” he said.
He also told the women that they should have rejected him “in a nice, respectful way”. In another part of the video, he was heard boasting, “I’ll put a bullet in all of you!”
Restaurant staff intervened and removed him from the premises. Vlamo management later said the man had no employment, ownership or other association with the restaurant, despite claims that he was connected to the establishment.
“We want to make it clear that the individual involved is not affiliated with, employed by, or associated with our restaurant in any capacity, despite claims that may have been made suggesting otherwise,” the restaurant said.
The venue said it acted as soon as its management became aware of what had happened. “Immediate action was taken, and the individual was removed from the premises,” it said.
Vlamo added that it takes “the safety, dignity and wellbeing of women as well as any other guests and our team extremely seriously” and has “zero tolerance for behaviour that compromises the safety or experience of anyone within our establishment.” Management said it was supporting the women and was in contact with them after the incident.
“We are deeply disappointed by this incident and understand the concern that the circulating footage may have caused. The behaviour captured in the video does not reflect the values, standards or environment we work hard to uphold,” the restaurant said.
🔴A Zimbabwean businessman and socialite, Lawrence Madzinganyama, has sparked widespread public outrage in South Africa after being caught on camera threatening unarmed women after one of them rejected his unwanted sexual advances at the newly-opened Vlamo Restaurant in Sandton,… pic.twitter.com/EPpeZOqvln
— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) September 19, 2026
The footage spread rapidly online, bringing intense scrutiny to Mudzinganyama and to the businesses with which he is linked. He was identified by the government’s Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster as a Zimbabwean national and a director of Moriel Infrastructure Group. The company has received a contract from the South African National Roads Agency, known as Sanral.
Transport Minister Barbra Creecy instructed Sanral’s board to investigate whether Moriel Infrastructure Group had been lawfully appointed as a contractor and whether it was meeting its contractual obligations. Sanral acknowledged the instruction and said it would comply.
The government cluster also urged the women in the video to open criminal cases. It said the incident could allow the Designated Firearms Officer to begin a Section 102 process under the Firearms Control Act. Such a process can result in a person being declared unfit to possess a firearm and can lead to the suspension or cancellation of firearm licences, competency certificates or permits.
“Threats of violence against anyone, especially women, must be taken seriously and reported,” the cluster said.
The restaurant’s management and the women have laid charges with the police, according to reports following the incident. Vlamo has also added visible security at the premises.
The video emerged as South Africa was dealing with a national crisis over the killing of women in and around Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Springs, Dawn Park and other parts of the East Rand. By 17 September, nine women’s bodies had been found in locations across Ekurhuleni and nearby areas. Several of the victims were found partly clothed or naked, with bruising and other visible injuries.
The first body in the series was found in Pomona, Kempton Park, in July. Other bodies were discovered in Rhodesfield, Olifantsfontein, Clayville, KwaThema in Springs and Dawn Park in Boksburg. One of the victims was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who disappeared after going for a run on 9 September. Her body was later found and identified by relatives.
Another victim, 28-year-old Zimbabwean national Gracious Nkomo, was identified after her body was found along the R21 in Kempton Park on 10 September. Dineo Evelyn Motapane, a 38-year-old mother, was also identified after being found in KwaThema. At least four of the nine victims had been identified by their families as the investigation widened.
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the killings a national crisis and instructed government and law-enforcement agencies to give the investigation the highest level of attention. A specialised multidisciplinary team was assembled to work around the clock to identify those responsible.
Police have examined possible links between the cases. In an earlier statement, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators were concerned by similarities in the way some of the bodies were found, including bruising and partial nudity. She said police were still examining whether the cases were connected.
“This body was particularly found with a woman wearing sports clothing; she was unfortunately half naked at the time, badly bruised, and it’s similar bruises and the way in which they were found with the three other bodies that were found along the R21- as well,” Mathe said.
She added: “So, our focus is shifting to the three; are they connected, are there linkages? For now, nothing tells us that we’ve got a serial killer.”
The police warning for women to avoid walking or running alone in isolated areas has added to public frustration. Women’s rights campaigners have said women already take extensive precautions and should not carry the burden of preventing violence that is committed against them.
That anxiety formed the backdrop to the Sandton confrontation. The women in the video were not attacked in an isolated field or on a deserted road. They were inside a busy, upscale restaurant, surrounded by other patrons and staff, when a rejected advance turned into a threat involving firearms and murder.
The incident has also intensified questions about how businesses respond when patrons display threatening or abusive behaviour. Vlamo’s decision to remove Mudzinganyama, distance itself from him and strengthen security has placed the focus on the responsibility of venues to protect guests before intimidation becomes physical violence.
For many South Africans, the words captured in the video have carried particular weight because they came while families were identifying women found dead across Gauteng. A threat to put a bullet in women for refusing unwanted attention has therefore been treated as more than an angry outburst. It has become part of a wider public demand that threats against women be recorded, investigated and acted on before they escalate.
The footage remains in circulation as police and other authorities pursue the cases linked to the Sandton incident. The government has urged anyone with information about the Kempton Park killings to contact the South African Police Service, while communities across the East Rand continue to search for answers about the women whose lives ended in the most disturbing circumstances.
The fear expressed by women in Gauteng has been sharpened by the knowledge that danger can appear in public places, on roads, during a run or inside a restaurant. The Sandton video has now added a new and highly visible example: a woman’s refusal was followed not by acceptance, but by a filmed threat of murder and gunfire.