‘It’s a movie!’ — Mzansi shocked by ‘John Wick’ murders in Mamelodi

It is not a Hollywood blockbuster, but for residents in Mamelodi it sure seems like it.

An unknown gunman, known only as John Wick, has allegedly killed several gangsters over the past few weeks.

The latest death, of an alleged Boko Haram gang member killed in a hail of bullets on Tuesday, saw “John Wick” top the Twitter trends list as social media users weighed in on the murder.

According to police, officers responded to a shooting on the N4 Highway near Diamond Hill toll plaza at around midday. They found a man dead and another injured.

Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said witnesses told authorities a black VW Polo was shot at by occupants in a silver Mercedes-Benz. The driver of the Polo lost control of the car.

The driver of the Polo was declared dead on the scene, while the passenger was rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds.

Muridili said preliminary investigations on the scene identified the deceased as 35-year-old Phillip Given Mnguni. A task team found Mnguni was allegedly linked to several cases related to the Boko Haram gang in Mamelodi.

Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela said Mnguni “was the number one wanted suspect in our investigations into the Boko Haram activities in Mamelodi”.

“There have not, in recent times, been reports of gang-related murders in Mamelodi since the deployment of the task team and visible policing members. This indicates the measures we have put in place to stabilise gang-related crime are starting to bear fruit,” he said.

Mamelodi West community policing forum chairperson Tebogo Mashigo told EWN last week that many in the community hailed “John Wick” as a hero.

“The sentiment shared by a lot of people is that it is long overdue. They are happy with the situation. But as the CPF, we are not happy. Whether they are part of the community or gangsters, it is one death too many and it affects everybody.”

He warned that several social media posts claiming to show alleged gangsters killed by “John Wick” were false.

Still, social media was flooded with reactions to “John Wick” and his alleged vigilantism.