Police are searching for a Ugandan national who allegedly drove over a Zimbabwean man multiple times with his Ford Ranger following a heated confrontation in Rivonia, Sandton on April 5.
Emmanuel Mahamba died at the scene after being repeatedly run over in an incident captured on video and widely shared across social media platforms. The graphic footage shows Mahamba seated on the road while the vehicle drives over him multiple times.
Joburg-based activist and lawyer Moreboys Munetsi has stepped in to provide legal support to the victim’s family. “The body of Emmanuel has been repatriated already for burial in Zimbabwe,” Munetsi said in a statement.
The brutal killing reportedly stemmed from a love triangle involving Mahamba, a woman identified only as Ntombi, and her Ugandan partner with whom she has two children.
Ntombi revealed details about the relationship during a Facebook live conversation hosted by Munetsi on his social media page, which has over 144,000 followers. “I agree that I once dated Emmanuel in January, and we broke up in February,” she said.
According to Ntombi, she ended her relationship with Mahamba after some Ugandan men, who lived in the same house as Mahamba, recorded a video of the couple together and shared it with her long-term partner.
The fatal confrontation occurred at Ntombi’s workplace, where motorcycle parts are sold. Ntombi’s partner was already at the premises when Mahamba arrived with several Ugandan men.
“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,” Ntombi said. “He was holding a stone, and he threw it away. He picked it again and hit the vehicle’s screen. That is when my baby daddy got angry.”
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Gauteng police spokesperson, confirmed that officers responded to a complaint and found a man with injuries throughout his body lying by the roadside. Paramedics declared him dead at 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,” Nevhuhulwi said.
The suspect remains at large as police continue their investigation. No arrests have been made yet in connection with the killing, which has generated significant public outcry on social media platforms.
Munetsi, who runs an international company called Greathope Insurance, said he is helping coordinate funeral contributions from the Zimbabwean community in Johannesburg to support Mahamba’s family.
The incident has sparked concerns about violence and community tensions in the area. Munetsi is known in both South African and Zimbabwean communities in Gauteng for his anti-crime and social cohesion activism.
In the video of the incident, Ntombi can be seen screaming and frantically trying to stop the Ford Ranger driver as the attack unfolded, but her attempts were unsuccessful.
The brutal nature of the killing has attracted international media attention, with many questioning why the alleged perpetrator has not yet been apprehended despite clear video evidence of the crime.
