Suspect in alleged murder of former heavyweight boxer Mark Strydom to make first court appearance

JOHANNESBURG - One suspect is expected to appear at the Germiston Magistrates Court in the east of Johannesburg on Monday morning for his alleged role in the murder of former South African professional heavyweight boxer, Mark Strydom.

Strydom was shot outside Grand Slam Diner on Saturday night following a heated altercation.

It’s understood he was caught in a dispute with a woman believed to be his girlfriend at the bar before an onlooker tried to intervene.

The details of the murder remain sketchy, but an eyewitness said the boxer, nicknamed 'Striker,' fired at least two shots in the air during the spat.

Another man, whose identity can only be revealed after his first court appearance, then shot at Strydom.

Gauteng police spokesperson Noxolo Kweza said a motive was yet to be established.

“I can confirm that police in Edenvale are investigating a murder docket after a 54-year-old man was shot and killed at a sports bar.”

Although Strydom is said to have been on the straight and narrow, he was previously linked to the underworld debt-collecting scene in Johannesburg.