Birthday Turns Violent: Woman Beaten In Sandton Mall After Phone Dispute

What was meant to be a birthday celebration turned into a nightmare for Candice Hlanze, who was allegedly assaulted by four women outside a trendy Sandton eatery on Friday. The incident took place at 24 Central, after Hlanze claimed her phone and cash went missing during a visit to Nola restaurant.

According to police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo, a case of assault has been opened at the Sandton police station. No arrests have been made yet.

“My Phone and Money Were Gone”

Hlanze told police she had stepped out to use the bathrooms in the centre — as Nola does not have in-house restrooms — and returned to find both her phone and cash missing from her handbag, which was left at her table.

“I left my bag on the table my friend and I had booked and when I returned from the bathroom I noticed my money and phone were missing. I asked for the CCTV footage but the waiters refused to give [it to] me,” she said.

Her attempt to retrieve her belongings took an unexpected turn when a security guard called her to identify a phone found at the venue. The guard allegedly informed her that a group of women had tried to claim the device.

Sandton Security Filmed the Fight Instead of Intervening

Upon confronting the group, tensions escalated. Hlanze was reportedly attacked by the women while staff and security personnel allegedly stood by without offering help.

According to Hlanze’s friend, who asked to remain anonymous: “Staff at the restaurant failed to intervene while Hlanze was being attacked. Instead, waiters and security personnel stood by, taking videos and pictures of the altercation.”

The friend added that the restaurant staff showed little urgency in assisting after the incident: “We were told to pay the bill and leave the restaurant as the altercation did not occur inside the restaurant.

“Nobody helped us, we struggled to obtain the footage which they eventually provided, but only after making us watch from the beginning of the day, which was unnecessary because we didn’t get to see a thing.”

Police investigations into the assault are ongoing.

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