The Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Cape Town, marketed as a luxury venue, recently closed its doors following claims and counterclaims about gangsterism, business shares and life insurance. This fits into a matrix of extortion that endangers visitors at some city venues.

Up until about a week ago, the Instagram page of the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Cape Town had a stream of photographs showing smiling patrons posing with bottles of expensive alcohol and platters of food.

Now, that stream includes posts incongruent with party scenes -- an apology to patrons and a plea for help relating to extreme accusations about gangsters targeting it.

"Ayepyep Lifestyle Cape Town is under threat of an alleged 28s gang leader 'Ralph Stanfield' who is currently exerting force in an illegal manner in order to not only gain a stake in the business but to take over the control of the business," one of the posts alleges.

However, Stanfield has made counter-accusations, involving life insurance secured before a murder, that paints Ayepyep founder Kagiso Setsetse as underhanded.

At the centre of the two sets of accusations is a fact -- criminality endangers visitors to certain venues in Cape Town.

In the Ayepyep saga, police confirmed they are investigating some of the allegations.

About six years ago, during an alleged nightclub security takeover focused on Cape Town, patrons were wounded in shootings at venues.

'Shut for now'

In an indirect acknowledgement of such dangers, it was...