The bouncer industry is marred with rogue behaviour and undocumented foreign nationals who are not registered with the relevant authorities and are quick to disappear once they’ve committed acts of violence, such as the incident at Zanzou nightclub, say experts.
The club in Hatfield, Pretoria, trended this week when video footage surfaced showing naked men bound by their limbs and subjected to torture, sexual assault, compelled rape, assault, crimen injuria, intimidation and kidnapping. It is alleged that the group of bouncers targeted the men for allegedly stealing cellphones.
Three victims, aged 20, 21 and 22, reported to the Brooklyn police station on Monday evening after police urged them to come forward. The victims said they were a group of five men who were allegedly forced by the bouncers and manager into a store room in January 2023. The victims allege they were instructed to insert alcohol bottles into their private parts and forced to perform sexual acts on themselves.
While bouncers are regarded as “close protection” just like bodyguards, they were not properly regulated or even registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), said the Association of Private Security Owners of SA (Tapsosa).
Spokesperson Sindiswa Changuion told TimesLIVE Premium that PSiRA was not clamping down on bouncers, who are often undocumented foreign nationals.
“That is why these incidents occur, simply because there is no regulation for accountability. In reality, the role of bouncers should be falling under ‘close protection’ like bodyguards. That category of people needs to be trained and know how to execute crowd control and be registered with a regulator,” she said.
“If you go to a nightclub, you will find almost none of the bouncers are registered with PSiRA or find that they are not South African.”
Security personnel are often employed by a security company that is PSiRA-registered and approved, she said, adding the country has about 11,000 registered security companies. However, a “cabal” of “fly-by-night” companies have infiltrated the nightclub market.
“Take this incident of Zanzou. Some of the people who own security companies are part of crime syndicates and other underground happenings masquerading as security companies. There are rogue elements in the industry. You even find there are killings, but a lot needs to be unearthed.,” she said.
“These fly-by-night operations hire foreign nationals and use them to render this particular service and exploit them in the process by paying them less than what is in the guidelines.”
Should any security service provider be found guilty of misconduct, PSiRA will take decisive action, including suspension, deregistration and possible legal prosecution
— Manabela Chauke, PSiRA director
According to Forensics For Justice's Paul O'Sullivan, bouncers generally come from the DRC or Nigeria because they are larger than the average man. The bouncers involved in the Zanzou incident are likely to have disappeared, he said.
“It is common in Pretoria as well. We have had cases where people get beaten up and the guy vanishes into thin air. They have definitely vanished and will resurface when everything calms down and cools off.”
The police said on Monday they were on the hunt for eight suspects, while Zanzou released a statement saying they would co-operate with the investigation but that the release of the video, leaked by someone named Pablo, was to blackmail Zanzou’s owner and management.
O’Sullivan said the owner and the man who leaked the video should both be arrested. However, he said the foreign bouncers who often operate at nightclubs offer the service instead of club owners.
“They promote their own service and in some cases they even extort the club in question and force you to buy their services. If you don’t, things happen,” O’Sullivan said.
A South African bouncer, who wished to remain anonymous, worked as a bouncer while studying at Rhodes University in Makhanda. He said the working conditions of bouncers depend on the area and the establishment they work at, but he worked shifts of four to six hours in a “safe and comfortable” environment.
“One’s temper can flare when dealing with unruly folk who after countless requests continue to misbehave. Some of the [patrons] prove to be rather strong. Ergo, force is required,” he told TimesLIVE Premium.
“It must be noted that excessive force is also dependent on one’s character. A chap once spat in my face. Instead of smacking him, I simply informed him that he would no longer be able to come to the club and that if he continued to behave in such a way, I’d call the police. Trust me, no guy wants to spend a weekend in jail.”
Meanwhile, PSiRA has launched an urgent investigation to determine whether the bouncers involved in the Zanzou incident are registered and if the security company which deployed them is compliant with regulations.
“PSiRA strongly condemns any form of brutality, assault or unlawful conduct by private security officers. The alleged acts, ranging from physical assault to inhumane treatment, are not only unethical but also in direct violation of the Private Security Industry Regulation Act and the fundamental principles of human rights enshrined in the constitution,” PSiRA director Manabela Chauke said.
“Should any security service provider be found guilty of misconduct, PSiRA will take decisive action, including suspension, deregistration and possible legal prosecution.”
More disturbing footage is expected as Pablo, the man who allegedly released the first video, took to TikTok to announce he would soon release a series of 75 videos.
“I have been working for these people for seven years now, so I know how this industry works. Everything I am telling you guys, you need to listen to it and believe it. I know you guys like to believe with proof and I have a lot of proof for you that I am going to expose.
“I know right now those people are looking for me. They promised to kill me. They promised to do some bad things to me — but you guys must know that I will do what is right. I am going to expose all the sh*t,” he said.
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