Sandton restaurant clears man from viral bathroom video as police case stays unconfirmed

A man is heard threatening to kill women inside a ladies’ bathroom at a Sandton restaurant, and the restaurant says he has no connection to it and was removed from the premises once management learned what had happened.

The footage was recorded at Vlamo restaurant at Sandton Gate. The women are not visible in the clip circulating online. The man is heard telling them, “I’ll murder you now and walk,” and, “I’ll put a bullet in all of you.” He is also heard claiming he could buy and own the restaurant, saying, “I buy this restaurant. I own it,” and, “I’m a wealthy man. You guys are poor ladies.” He insults one of the women in crude terms. He keeps going after the women knowing he is being recorded.

The video has spread widely, and much of the reaction has focused on two things, the threats themselves and the fact that the confrontation happened inside a women’s bathroom.

The restaurant’s account

Vlamo issued a statement confirming the incident took place at its establishment and distancing itself from the man. It said he was not affiliated with, employed by or associated with the restaurant, despite the claims he made during the confrontation.

The restaurant said it acted as soon as management became aware. “Immediate action was taken and the individual was removed from the premises,” it said.

Vlamo said it takes the safety, dignity and wellbeing of women, guests and staff seriously and has zero tolerance for behaviour that compromises anyone’s safety or experience. It said its immediate concern after the incident was the wellbeing of the women involved, that it is in contact with them and committed to supporting them through the appropriate processes, and that it will keep cooperating and assisting where required. The behaviour in the video, it said, does not represent the values or the environment it seeks to uphold.

What is not yet established

IOL reports that the man’s identity has been widely discussed on social media but has not been confirmed by police, and that it is not yet clear from the information available whether a criminal case has been opened over the incident.

That absence is worth stating plainly, because the questions a viral clip cannot answer are the ones that decide what happens next. A criminal case is opened with the South African Police Service, not on a timeline. Threats to kill are dealt with under the law, and intimidation and assault are likewise matters for the police and the courts, not for a comment section. The Enquirer has asked Gauteng SAPS whether a case has been opened and, if so, at which station, and what the status of the investigation is.

The week this landed in

The video has emerged while the country is again dealing with public anger over violence against women. Nine women have been found dead in Ekurhuleni since July. Police are investigating the circumstances of each death and working to establish whether the cases are connected.

That is a police investigation, and the families involved are waiting on it. Civil society groups and communities have renewed demands for action to protect women against that backdrop, and the Sandton clip has added to the discussion about threats and intimidation directed at women.

What the footage shows is a man following women into a bathroom they had every right to be in and threatening to kill them. Whatever else is said about the clip in the coming days, that is what it contains, and the restaurant’s own account says he was removed from the premises for it.

The Enquirer will report the outcome of the police query when Gauteng SAPS responds.

Source: IOL, ‘I’ll murder you now’: Viral video shows man threatening women in Sandton restaurant