Sandton shooting has hallmarks of a hit

The mafia-style killing of a 37-year-old Welkom businessman in Sandton this week has left many unanswered questions surrounding the motive.

While Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini initally said the motive for Phikolomzi Ignatius Mpambani’s murder was robbery, police yesterday confirmed that no money was taken from the scene.

Mpambani was gunned down shortly after withdrawing undisclosed amount of cash from the bank. The shooting occurred while Mpambani was driving a luxury R3 million Bentley along Bowling Avenue in Sandton.

The gunmen then apparently drove off towards Alexandra township.

Paramedics from ER24 arrived on the scene and found Mpambani slumped in the front seat of his car.

“It is suspected that the victim was followed after he had drawn a substantial amount of money. The motive for the attack might have been robbery. But the money was not taken. This office has no information about the personal profile of the victim,” Dlamini said.

Mpambani was popularly known for hosting the Beach on Track event, an annual December 31 festival which attracts numerous famous musicians.

Apart from this, little seems to be publicly known about Mpambani. According to his LinkedIn profile, at the time of his death he was the chairman of JTIP Consulting, which is described as operating in the engineering sector.

Between 2006 and 2014, his profile lists him as having been the CEO of InfraCloud and Sechaba Group, as well as the deputy CEO of Baran Projects. Little to no information can be found about these companies.

Between March 2005 and August 2006, the profile says Mpambani was an investment banker with Standard Chartered Bank, after attaining an MBA at the Texas Southern University in 2004.

Mpambani matriculated from St Dominic’s College in Welkom. One of his former schoolmates, who did not wish to be identified, said: “He was a good and well-mannered person, who always hung around with the guys.” – vicky@citizen.co.za