One suspect linked to the Zanzou nightclub human rights violations scandal was arrested in Yeoville, Johannesburg on Friday.
The 49-year-old man is a Congolese foreigner and is part of the eight bouncers that allegedly assaulted several young men brutally and forced them to perform sexual acts at the Zanzou nightclub in Tshwane in 2023.
The Zanzou nightclub fiasco came to the attention of the police and the public after a video containing the violent assaults and obscene sex acts went viral on social media.
According to the police, the arrested suspect will appear in court soon and will be charged with compelled rape, crimen injuria as well as assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Meanwhile, Operation Dudula and MK Party members descended en masse on Zanzou nightclub to demand justice for the victims who were violated sexually and brutally beaten up by 8 Zanzou nightclub bouncers.
Operation Dudula MAWIGA Sub-Region 1 Co-ordinator Flora Mahlangu told Tshwane Talks that Zanzou nightclub together with all businesses belonging to Zanzou nightclub owner Stephan Cohen, who is an illegal foreigner from Lebanon, must be shut down.
“How did this Stephan Cohen guy get a license to operate a nightclub business because he is an illegal foreigner and right now, he is nowhere to be found, and we feel that the Government of National Unity is failing us as it has said or done nothing about this matter so far,” she lamented.
“This Cohen guy has been doing evil things in this nightclub for a long time now and what he and his bouncers did to those children is pathetic because those children need urgent psychological counselling now,” said Mahlangu.
Operation Dudula Gauteng Coordinator Kotedi Tshipe said they came to Zanzou nightclub to protest against foreigners like Cohen and his bouncers, who abuse South African children, introduce them to drugs and ultimately subject them to human trafficking.
“We are tired of foreigners, they must leave our country, we want our country back and we have been telling the government to deport these foreigners, but nothing has happened in this regard, as a result we are being undermined in our own country and our children are no longer safe and even ourselves as adults no longer feel safe in this country, so we are calling for the mass deportation of all illegal foreigners,” he said.
Concerned Tshwane Residents (CTR) President Kagiso Kekana told Tshwane Talks that his organisation is very concerned about the influx of foreigners in South Africa and the way they operate their businesses.
“Zanzou nightclub is next to an educational institution and this is wrong as many students and learners frequent the nightclub and end up being abused, so we are going to get rid of all the drug dens and brothels in the Pretoria CBD.” he said.
Tshwane Civic Movement member Kgomotso Sephelle said Zanzou nightclub was not the only establishment where shenanigans were taking place but that there were several other establishments like Ipi Ntombi which must be closed down as well due to the immoral things that are happening there, and also because they are very close to educational institutions.
The MK Party, led by its convener in Tshwane Thamsanqa Kenke, then went to deliver a memorandum of grievances at the Brooklyn Police station and besides complaining about the Zanzou nightclub incident, pointed out that evidence at the Zanzou nightclub crime scene had apparently been tampered with as the barricades that had been put in place the previous day had now been removed.
Brooklyn Police station branch commander Colonel Kgokong Mabelane received and signed the memorandum and promised to respond within 7 days as demanded by MK Party.
Operation Dudula Tshwane Coordinator known as DK said the party called for the immediate arrest of Zanzou nightclub owner Stephan Cohen and the immediate shutdown of the club.
“The victims suffered severe acts of human rights violations which included water boarding, physical assault and the imposition of degrading treatment, and Operation Dudula believes there is no reason whatsoever to justify the humiliation of other people like that,” said DK.