Police said 27-year-old Mazwi Mpumelelo Kubheka was allegedly blindfolded, moved between unknown locations, and held upstairs in a building during the period he was missing, according to preliminary findings presented at a high-level briefing at Vosloorus Police Station on Sunday.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, addressing the media at the station, confirmed that the investigation has taken a dramatic turn following Kubheka’s unexpected return after nearly a month missing.
Kubheka walked into the Vosloorus police station on the evening of May 2, appearing visibly traumatised. He was immediately taken for medical assessment before being interviewed by investigators.
According to police, Kubheka alleges he was picked up near Carnival City in Brakpan by an unknown motorist before being transported to an undisclosed location, where he was blindfolded and kept in confinement.
Investigators said he told police he was only later moved and held in a building where he was kept upstairs, before eventually managing to make his way back to Vosloorus.
Mthombeni confirmed that detectives are still working to verify the full sequence of events.
“At this stage, the circumstances surrounding the missing person case are still under investigation and remain unclear,” Mthombeni said during the briefing.
Police said multiple search operations were launched shortly after Kubheka was reported missing on April 2, including K9 deployments and coordinated sweeps across Vosloorus Ext 9, Ext 14 and surrounding areas, but no trace of him was initially found.
Investigators have since followed up on several leads, including tracing digital movements linked to persons of interest and conducting interviews with witnesses who were in contact with Kubheka before his disappearance.
Police confirmed that statements were obtained from multiple witnesses and individuals linked to the investigation, while follow-up searches were conducted in areas including Ekurhuleni and Pretoria, but without success at the time.
Authorities also revealed that a separate line of inquiry involving alleged extortion attempts during the disappearance is being investigated, although no arrests have been confirmed.
"On the 25th of April 2026, the Investigating Officer identified the alleged persons of interest for questioning, and only statements were obtained from them... an African national. Ashanti Meles and Ethiopian Nationals; both Ethiopians' passport documents were verified)," police said.
Kubheka’s disappearance had triggered widespread concern in Vosloorus, with his family reporting him missing after he failed to return home on the day he left to deposit money for his tuck shop business.
The case, which escalated into a community and political flashpoint during Mazwi Kubheka’s disappearance, has triggered renewed calls for swift action as attention now turns to what happened during the nearly month-long ordeal.
ActionSA Ekurhuleni has welcomed Kubheka’s safe return but says serious questions remain about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and what it describes as a delayed and incomplete investigation.
The party has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible, insisting that the case cannot be treated as resolved simply because Kubheka has been found alive.
“We are still of the view this matter is related to Mazwi’s shop, and the confirmation that two Ethiopians are involved makes it clearer. We will therefore continue our pressure on the ground, including calling for the shutdown of these spaza shops until the case is concluded,” the party said.
ActionSA added that the investigation must now move beyond search efforts and focus on accountability, warning that failure to act decisively would deepen public mistrust.
The party also stressed that the case had become a collective community effort from the outset, with residents playing a key role in raising awareness and demanding answers.
“Police must see it through,” the party said, urging investigators not to allow the matter to lose momentum following Kubheka’s return.
The Star
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