The assassination of popular music producer and club owner DJ Sumbody, real name Oupa Sefoka, has been linked to a violent underworld feud over a multi-million-rand drug consignment that went missing in police custody in KwaZulu-Natal that , allegedly set off a killing spree in Johannesburg.
The shocking details come after four suspects, aged between 45 and 60, were taken into custody this week in connection with Sefoka’s assassination. They include businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Sefoka and his two bodyguards, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza, were shot execution-style with an AK-47 rifle in Woodmead, Johannesburg, on November 20, 2022, shortly after leaving News Cafe where he was performing.
Other showbiz figures who became casualities of the alleged drug feud include the late Sandile “DJ Citi Lyts” Mkhize, rapper Thulani “Heavy Pablo” Msimango and Hector “Ginimbi” Buthelezi, also known as DJ Vintos.According to information from police insiders and associates close to DJ Sumbody, the origins of the crime date back to a drug consignment that allegedly disappeared in police custody in KwaZulu-Natal a few years ago.
Sources allege that the consignment resurfaced in Johannesburg’s club circuit, where it was sold at cut-rate price, attracting the attention of the original owners, referred to only as “The Big Five”.
Information from associates in the entertainment industry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggests that Sefoka became unwittingly entangled in the saga when individuals in possession of the consignment approached him for help.
At the time, Sefoka was opening a Cape Town branch of his Ayepyep night club.
“His role was to get a Cape Town businessman to meet with these guys.
It was not clear at the time if he knew the business to be discussed involved drugs,” said an associate familiar with the events.
Sources said the meeting took place, with the Cape Town businessman warning the group that the original owners were searching for their missing goods. The businessman, known to Sunday World, is believed to have subsequently tipped off “The Big Five”, seeking to clear himself of suspicion. It is alleged the syndicate then added several names to a hit list, including DJ Sumbody, over fears that he “knew too much”.
One of the drug lords allegedly described DJ Sumbody as “someone who lacked the guts to get involved in any crime”, insisting his business was strictly lifestyle and entertainment. Despite such appeals, sources allege that the majority of the drug lords overruled calls for leniency and resolved to kill him.
Further information from people close to the investigation indicates Sefoka received warnings to leave Johannesburg. On the day of his murder, he had reportedly packed his belongings and was preparing to relocate to Cape Town. In a marked departure from his usual routine, his final gig at News Café in Woodmead was not advertised on social media.
Another thread in the investigation concerns DJ Sumbody’s search for funding to open Ayepyep’s Menlyn branch. He is said to have approached a well-known (now deceased) taxi boss but ultimately secured backing from taxi billionaire Joe Sibanyoni, known as Joe Ferrari.
Not long after the late taxi boss passed away, Sibanyoni hosted a party at Mercedes, where one of DJ Sumbody’s close friends,Seunkie” DJ Vettys Mukubung, took pictures and posted on social media with a caption “Show me your friends and I’ll show you mine.”
DJ Vettys later survived a hit when he was struck by two of four bullets fired at him.
In his social media posts, DJ Vettys showed rapper Cassper Nyovest, almost turning the popular artist into a target.
Another source close to the investigation alleged that DJ Sumbody received funding from the late taxi boss to open the Pretoria branch of Ayepyep in exchange for selling drugs there.
He agreed, but later changed his mind and promised to sell the substance at his Cape Town club. “After opening it, he reneged on this promise, and that is why a decision to kill him was taken,” said the source.
NPA South Gauteng spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane declined to comment and said the matter is subjudice.
