‘He’s not himself’: Family fears torture after Vosloorus shop owner Mazwi Kubheka found alive

The family of 27-year-old Vosloorus businessman Mazwi Kubheka says they are hurt that he is “not himself” following a month-long ordeal in which he was allegedly kidnapped and tortured.

Kubheka was found alive after presenting himself at the Vosloorus police station. 

Gauteng police confirmed he was safe on the evening of Saturday, May 2.

His disappearance on April 2 sparked weeks of anxiety for his family. 

He had left his shop to deposit money at the bank but never returned home.

The case left relatives distraught, enduring sleepless nights as days passed without answers. 

It was widely believed his disappearance was linked to ongoing turf disputes among spaza shop owners in the area.

Protesters suspected he had been kidnapped after reportedly refusing to hand over his shop to foreign nationals allegedly seeking control of his business. 

In recent days, residents, civic groups and political parties staged protests at the Vosloorus police station, demanding intensified search efforts and progress in the investigation.

On Sunday evening, Kubheka’s sister, Nonhle Kubheka, expressed concern about his physical and mental condition.

“It’s bad. His physical appearance is bad, and it hurts me to see him that way. It’s bad,” she said.

She added that he has not yet spoken to the family about what happened.

“No, not really. They took him into another room and locked it – the police – so we could not find out anything. We are just discussing. He wanted to go home, but we wanted him to seek medical help,” she said.

“We don’t know the extent of the torture he suffered. We also don’t know what they did to him as they may have given him drugs or anything – because he’s not himself. He’s really not himself,” she told eNCA.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed Kubheka’s identity had been verified and that he would be reunited with his family after a medical assessment.

“At this stage, the circumstances surrounding the missing person case are still sketchy, and police investigations are underway,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, alongside provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, briefed the media over the weekend on developments regarding the case.

Lesufi said police know who was behind the disappearance.

“The good thing is that we now know who is behind this, and the police are dealing with the matter at that level, which will provide the relevant information we need,” he said.

He added that a group comprising South Africans, Ethiopians and Malawians allegedly held Kubheka hostage. 

Lesufi said the police are also investigating whether the motive was linked to a dispute over his spaza shop.

“The confirmation we can make is that they were using hijacked buildings. Where the victim was kept, two Malawians were guarding him. The person responsible for the kidnapping is known to the victim, and police are working on that name or nickname,” Lesufi said.

Mthombeni confirmed that no arrests have been made. 

Investigators have followed several leads and questioned three people, but none has been detained, he said.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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