WHEN Zimbabwean businessman, Maxwell Mlangeni, parked his custom made white Ferrari F8 on Bethal Road in Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa on Monday morning, he might have thought he was set for another run-of-the-mill day in the office.
With a fleet of over 200 trucks and 300 employees under his company, Today’s Destiny Logistics, Mlangeni had a lot on his plate.
This, however, would not just be another Monday in the office.
Before he had stepped out of his sleek sports car, three men approached his vehicle and opened fire, leaving the luxury vehicle riddled with bullets and Mlangeni fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a South African hospital.
The police would later reveal that they thought this had been a carefully planned and executed by gunmen who had exhibited a single-minded determination to extinguish Mlangeni’s life.
“According to preliminary information, three armed suspects walked to his car, then opened fire while he was sitting in the car. Thereafter, they fled the scene,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli told media following the gruesome shooting.
A case of attempted murder has been opened, he said, although the motive remains a mystery.
“No one has been arrested so far and police urge anyone with information that may assist in apprehending the suspects to call Colonel One Thobejane of Witbank detectives on 079-891-5845.”
As police in South Africa begin their search for the identity of the hitmen, attention has so far shifted towards Mlangeni and the possible reason why the Zimbabwean businessman might have attracted the attention of such murderous bloodhounds.
After all, Mlangeni is seemingly living the immigrant’s dream in Mzansi, where he has seen his company rise to great heights over the last 14 years. When he started in 2011, the mogul only had a single truck under his name.
He now boasts a fleet of 200 vehicles, making him one of the biggest trucking operators in Mpumalanga.
The company operates tippers, refrigerated trucks, and flatbeds and offers large-scale procurement, warehousing, and distribution services.
However, while Mlangeni might have scaled lofty heights in trucking, that industry is not his initial claim to fortune. A source who knew him described him as a dedicated entrepreneur who started his career by supplying soaps before expanding into the trucking industry.
“Very humble guy. Dedicated to his work. It is sad to see a young black man silenced like that,” the source said.
Soap supplier to trucking mogul appears like a drastic career change, but this is not the only detour that Mlangeni took in his life. The businessman is a graduate of Stellenbosch University, where he earned a BSc in Forest and Wood Science.
During his time at Stellenbosch he was an active political figure and a strong supporter of the South African Students Congress (SASCO), the student wing of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC).
The brutal nature of Mlangeni’s shooting has led to increased interest in not only his life, but his business as well. As he fights for his life, Mlangeni, who was reportedly airlifted to a hospital in another province after initially being admitted at a local facility, speculation on what might have attracted the unwanted attention of such murderous men has spread like wildfire.
According to South Africa’s Swisher Post, a review of Today’s Destiny Logistics website has exposed possible irregularities, including the use of stock photos for its listed executives.
The supposed co-founders — Samanta Willaian and Gina Kennedy — have no public records, while General Manager Thomas Moyo also appears to be unverifiable. Following the attack on Mlangeni, a female receptionist at the company told IOL that they would not comment on the shooting of their founder.
Investigators are expected to examine the company’s financial dealings and its connections within the trucking industry as part of the probe into the attack.
Meanwhile, others in Mzansi have speculated that Mlangeni might have become the latest victim of the mafia-style groups that are becoming increasingly more powerful in that country.
According to Business Tech, organised criminal syndicates are now targeting freight and logistics businesses in South Africa in “mafia-style” attacks on delivery vehicles.
The emergence of these groups signals an evolution in organised crime, as criminal syndicates exploit the vulnerabilities of businesses and public services for profit.
Several mafia-style groups have already become well-known for their involvement in illegal activities across various sectors, with contractors across South Africa increasingly being forced to comply with their demands or face severe repercussions, leading to significant project delays and financial losses.
Data from Tracker South Africa’s Vehicle Crime Index reveals a marked increase in hijackings of business vehicles compared to private vehicles, indicating that organised crime has shifted its focus to more profitable targets.
In the first-half of 2024 alone, hijackings accounted for 54 percent of all vehicle-related crimes, with business vehicles bearing a disproportionate risk.
In the Eastern Cape, for example, business vehicles are 43 percent more likely to be targeted than personal vehicles, with courier vans and cargo trucks facing the highest risk.
Business operators who refuse to pay “protection” fees from these ruthless operators are at risk of having their cars hijacked or the owners of the businesses becoming targets for violence. Such a syndicate might now be in operation in Mpumalanga, as Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating Officer at Tracker revealed that these mafia-style groups migrate from province to province.
“Crime tends to shift across provinces over time, and there are different levels of crime based on the sophistication of the syndicates,” Ngcobo said. – Herald Online
