Monate Mpolaye hitmaker DJ Sumbody, who died in a hail of bullets on Sunday morning, was in high spirits hours before his violent death, he was looking forward to his annual All White Picnic at Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Pretoria.
Born Oupa John Sefoka, the DJ wanted to see people looking like angels in their white outfits at the picnic scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon, according to Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo who spoke to him just hours before his death.
The country woke up to news that the Pretoria DJ and amapiano musician had died together with an unidentified person who was in the car with him on the corner of Woodmead and Woodland drives in Sandton, Johannesburg, just after midnight.
In the days leading up to the event on Sunday at the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge, which he co-owned, DJ Sumbody had been counting down to the fifth leg of the annual event which has since been cancelled following news of his death.
Ahead of his still mysterious death, Sumbody was at the peak of his career and on Saturday he had shared events he was scheduled to perform at.
On Saturday, the DJ who introduced kwaito legend Thebe to amapiano, could be seen in a video parking at Mount Carlo in Pretoria, wearing one of his expensive suits, walking like he owned the world. He had been there to attend a wedding.
He had a string of gigs on Saturday, including one at Ayepyep in Menlyn, and was set to perform at The Secrete Door and shared the stage with superstar D’Banj, Venom, Thulz, Nel and Marc Vegas, among others.
“He was looking forward to his event (picnic). He sent me a flyer of his event and I asked if he was inviting me. He said I can come with two more people. I asked him if he wants me to post it and he responded with 'yep'. When I video-called him asking why he responded the way he did, he said, 'I did not know but thank you, we learn every day'.
“When I look at his posts on social media with him counting down the days to his event, this guy was counting down to his own death. He kept saying he wants people to look beautiful and that the venue will look like heaven. He was looking forward to this event," Mhlongo said.
A statement from Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge read: "It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we notify of the cancellation of the DJ Sumbody All White Veuve Clicquot Picnic... Details regarding the cancellation of the event will be communicated in due course.”
Police said they had received a call after midnight about the shooting.
"Upon arrival at the scene, police found two people inside a VW Golf with gunshot wounds. Both victims, a driver, and a passenger were certified dead on the scene," said police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo.
"It was reported that the third victim, who was driving a BMW X5, was taken to the nearest medical care centre after sustaining gunshot wounds. The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage."
Family spokesperson Mmanake Mokitimi confirmed DJ Sumbody's death but declined to speak about the circumstances around it.
“Details of his untimely death cannot be released but the artist… ran into an unfortunate incident that led to his passing in the early hours of Sunday morning, November 20 2022,” Mokitimi said.
She declined to confirm whether the artist had died of unnatural causes or not.
“Everything is under investigation. We will give you all details once everything has been settled. Please allow us to finalise everything as a family and then we will give you proper details. At this moment, we just want some privacy please. As a family we are still at the police station,” she said.
In his last story, posted on Saturday, he is seen smoking a cigar with loud music playing in the background.
"Back to basics," he captioned it.
The DJ released an album titled Ashi Nthwela in 2019 which featured Mdu Masilela, Thebe, Busiswa, Kwesta and Cassper Nyovest.
Mhlongo said that what stood out when he met DJ Sumbody was that he was forward and freely interacted with people.
He told Sowetan that when he spoke to Sumbody on Saturday, the musician was getting a haircut.
Mhlongo said the deceased loved the finer things in life, such as jewellery, clothes and cars. He was unapologetic about living the high life.
“You could see that he came from humble beginnings and worked hard for everything he owned. He embraced the soft life and was not apologetic about it. He loved good things but he was too sensitive.”
By sunrise, the cars involved in an apparent hit were still at the scene with pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists stopping to see what was happening and to take videos. There bodies of the victims had already been removed from the VW Golf.
Social media was abuzz with tributes. People who had been with him on Saturday said they were too distraught to speak.
DJ Fresh also shared a post saying: "I promised you (DJ Sumbody) a set to end all sets at your all-White party later today."
Police have urged anyone with information that can help in the investigation or assist in the apprehension of the suspects to please call the crime stop number on 08600 10111 or report to the nearest police station
bambalelep@sowetan.co.za
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
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