[imagesource: EWN]

Yesterday morning, customers enjoying a meal at Tashas in Rosebank’s The Zone Mall had to run for cover after hearing a couple of gunshots ring out.

It turns out a man had been shot dead while waiting for his food from the much-loved restaurant in Johannesburg.

He was sitting down at a table when two men wearing masks approached him at approximately 10AM and shot him on the spot.

A source told News24 that “the deceased was waiting for his order when the gunmen arrived,” at which point the source “heard three gunshots” and noticed that “after shooting him, the gunmen walked away”:

“…I saw people fleeing the restaurant. Later, the two gunmen walked out of Tashas. They started running, stopped, and walked towards their getaway car. Their getaway car was parked on the other side of the mall. They then drove off at high speed,” a witness said.

Other sources have suggested that the slain man was “lured to the restaurant” by the two suspects who then murdered him in broad daylight.

Image: Ntwaagae Seleka, News24

The authorities have managed to identify the deceased, a businessman who they say is from Asia:

News24 was able to establish that the man is Jason Lambe, a businessman who, at the time of his death, was carrying a South African driver’s licence and a United Arab Emirates (UAE) residency permit.

Lambe was also apparently carrying a gun on him at the time but was not able to reach for it when the gunmen came over to him.

I guess a full-blown shootout was avoided, then.

Meanwhile, Gauteng’s police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Sello mentioned that they are still searching for the suspects who have yet to be identified:

“The motive for the murder is unknown at this stage. A case of murder will be investigated, and the police appeal to anyone who may have information that can assist with the investigation to please contact the Crime Stop line.”

However, it might have something to do with his business dealings, if anything, with a few businesses registered in Malta.

Most interestingly, the deceased’s name is connected to the notorious Paradise Papers, the vast trove of 13,4 million leaked documents relating to dodgy offshore investments.

As for Tashas, well, it’s not the first time that a gun has been fired in the establishment.

Oscar Pistorius once pulled the trigger on his friend Darren Fresco’s Glock pistol under a table at the Tashas in Melrose Arch, in January 2013.

At the time the restaurant was full, and children were all around, too.

[source:news24]