Law graduate with ‘bright future’ gunned down during side hustle in Midrand

A law graduate who quit his internship in Mpumalanga after he was robbed twice was killed in an apparent hijacking as he drove an e-hailing vehicle in Midrand, Gauteng. 

Police on Wednesday confirmed they were investigating a murder case after Euston “Bongani” Mnguni’s murder. They believe he was gunned down while dropping off criminals masquerading as clients in Noordwyk last Friday.

Spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo explained that police arrived to find Mnguni, 28, with gunshot wounds to his upper body.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that the deceased was an e-hailing driver and his car was taken by the suspects who allegedly shot him.

“The motive cannot be confirmed at this stage but the investigation is under way,” he told TimesLIVE. 

Masondo said police “are experiencing a hike in attacks and hijackings of e-hailing vehicles and taxis in Johannesburg and appeal to the drivers and passengers to be extra careful while the investigation and search for the suspects is under way”.

Mnguni’s brother, Melithemba, shared the details leading up to his younger brother’s death.

According to him, Mnguni, who was affectionately known as Bongani by his family, was last seen leaving his residence in Ebony Park for work at about 1pm on Friday.

“Usually he comes come back at around 8pm — sometimes late at 10pm. On that day, he did not come back but there was not so much concern as he’s a young man. You’re thinking he went out to drink and slept over somewhere.

“The next morning we started trying to call him after 9am but his phone wasn’t going through. He has two numbers, one that does go off sometimes and another that is always on, but it wasn’t going through this time,” he said.

Melithemba said his brother’s WhatsApp revealed he was last online at 5pm on Friday. This, combined with the fact that they couldn’t find him when they went to his home, worried the family. It sparked a frantic search for the UJ graduate.

“We started getting worried, started trying to call continuously. We were helpless because the phone was the one we depended on.

“That afternoon at 3pm, his friend got a friend request which he ignored. The person then posted on messenger, revealing that he was a detective from Midrand [police station].”

Mnguni’s friend called the detective immediately and was initially told that they had found Mnguni’s car but not him. He apparently asked to meet the friend and after some back and forth, decided to meet at the nearest police station.

He then alerted the family, which worsened their worry. Melithemba said the detective allegedly told the friend that Mnguni had died and that the car recovery story was just a cover, but the friend could not “find the strength” to pass on the information to the family until later.

Meanwhile, the family continued their frantic search for the youngster through his phone and eventually traced his last location to Midrand.

Melithemba was able to get details of his brother’s last trip through the e-hailing platform’s system and it apparently showed that Mnguni had one trip prior and that it was during the second one he was apparently hijacked and killed. 

He took the suspects from Glen Austin to Noordwyk and “just before arriving, that’s when they hijacked and shot him”.

Melithemba is also in the e-hailing business. He is the secretary-general of the e-Hailing Partners Coalition (Epco). He said he introduced his brother to the business and initially hired him as a driver with one of the popular e-hailing platforms while he was completing his studies.

However, an unfortunate incident led to Mnguni being blocked on this e-hailing platform, leading him to jump ship and work for the competitor instead.

“I don’t approve of any driving on the other competing platform, so I encouraged him to rather focus on his studies because he was almost done. He then got an internship ... in Mpumalanga but it was for management, not law.

“Unfortunately there he got robbed twice. That’s when he decided that ‘it’s not safe for me’ ... and he came back this side.

“When he came back, we were trying to get him a job but you know how tough it is, so he ended up doing this hustle on the side. He had to hide it from me because he knew I wouldn’t approve,” he explained.

Melithemba cited the dangers, which are well-documented in the media, of using the platform as his biggest reason for disapproval.

He said his brother was a humble person with a bright future.

“He was jolly. He hardly took anything seriously. Full of jokes and laughter. Friendly to almost everyone he came across. He was very smart and humble,” a heartbroken Melithemba said.

“I always go through this in support of others. I did not know it would hit closer to home like this. It’s something I’ve fought against and have been passionate about.”

TimesLIVE

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