PRETORIA, South Africa – A 41-year-old Congolese national has been arrested in connection with the reported acts of torture and sexual assault at the popular Zanzou Bar and Lounge in Pretoria.
After several videos emerged online showing people being assaulted and stripped naked at the club, law enforcement agencies launched a joint operation which has resulted in the arrest of the Congolese.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) released a statement saying “the JMPD officials were conducting patrols in the area when they noticed the man resembling one of the Hatfield Club bouncers they have seen on videos circulating on social media.
“They stopped the man and upon satisfying themselves that indeed he was the one they have seen on the videos, they placed him under arrest and detained him at a police station”.
“Our operations will be focusing on those 8 persons that were seen committing these heinous crimes,” said Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili.
“We are working around the clock to make sure that we arrest all of them,” she said.
The police are still searching for seven suspects.
Three victims of the alleged assault at Zanzou Bar opened a case at the Brooklyn Police Station and the owner of a club in Pretoria is facing charges of compelled rape, crimen injuria, kidnapping and assault, according to Gauteng Police Commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni.
This follows the emergence of shocking footage depicting severe acts of violence, torture, and humiliation.
The clips, which are highly graphic and depict severe human rights violations—including acts tantamount to kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted murder—show men hogtied and filmed naked with their limbs bound.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has called for the immediate closure of the club.
“The horrific actions witnessed in the videos are an affront to the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution and have no place in a democratic society,” said department spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi.
Masibi further emphasised the government’s commitment to upholding human dignity, citing the Constitution’s clear stance on human rights.
Meanwhile the whistleblower, a former bouncer who worked for the Pretoria nightclub, posted a video on his Tiktok page under the username @pabloizi0, where he explained that he was with the establishment for seven years and allegedly witnessed a lot of torture and abuse suffered by victims.
He said he has more than 75 videos that he plans to release in the next few days.
“I will be posting each video, and I’ll give details, all the proof, all the pictures and all the confirmation so that you guys can see everything. know right now those people are looking for me, they promised to kill me, the promised to do some bad things to me but you guys must know that I will do what is right…I’m going to expose all the sh***t,” he said.
In a statement released after the videos began circulating on Monday, Zanzou Management acknowledged awareness of the troubling videos depicting violent security responses to theft.
“Zanzou Management is aware of the circulation of disturbing historical videos that depict security personnel employing excessive and violent force in response to incidents of phone theft by the individuals therein.
“At the time when management became aware of these practices, an immediate investigation was conducted, which resulted in the immediate halting of such as well as the dismissal of security personnel responsible for the perpetration thereof,” the statement read.
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