Since Mzoli's opened in early 2003, the restaurant had become a popular gathering spot for Cape Town residents and a tourist attraction.

[9] On November 19, 2006, over 40 people, including tourists and Democratic Alliance councillor Masizole Mnqasela were arrested in a police raid outside Mzoli's for drinking in public.

[14] Mzoli Ngcawuzele's daughter Sisanda Mangele said it closed due to "a lot of things, from physical safety to the state of the economy and restrictions of the pandemic".

[8][2] In 2013, the non-profit news agency GroundUp reported that regular customers often felt unsafe in the establishment, due to the prevalence of gangs.

[3] He added that due to the hot temperature in South Africa, the locals cannot hang meat like in Europe, so they would just "kill it, gut it, skin it and eat it".