WATCH | We worry if he has eaten and is warm, say family of Mazwi Kubheka

The family of a Vosloorus spaza shop owner who has disappeared without a trace say just before he went missing, he told them that a white bakkie would park outside his establishment from morning until evening.

According to the family of Mazwi Kubheka, the men inside never said anything to him nor ever alighted the car.

“Three days before his disappearance, he did mention a white van would come and park opposite his shop from 8am until the evening with Somali guys inside,” said his sister, Nomhle Kubheka.

It has been almost a month of worry for the family after Kubheka, 27, disappeared on April 2. Kubheka, a spaza shop owner in Marimba Gardens, Vosloorus, went missing while on his way to deposit rent money and buy stock, according to his family.

When the weather changes and the mercury drops, the family becomes sad and wonders whether he is warm wherever he is.

“We lost our mother in 2024, and we have all been trying to cope with that and can’t bear the thought of losing him too. We can’t eat or sit warmly in this weather without worrying if he has eaten or is warm wherever he is.”

According to Nomhle, she last spoke to her brother on the morning of his disappearance.

“He left with his laptop and lunch, which I thought he would drop off at the shop before he went to the bank. But from what we could find out, he did not even make it there [to the shop].”

Nomhle said she started to worry when Kubheka’s shop was still closed at midday, and her fear worsened as the day wore on and he failed to appear.

“So, I went to the police to report a missing person case,” she said.

We suspect his disappearance has something to do with some Somali guys and a man called Zulu.

—  Nomhle Kubheka

“We suspect his disappearance has something to do with some Somali guys and a man called Zulu.”

Nomhle said her brother told her early in March that he had been approached by Zulu, who said he was looking for a spaza to rent on behalf of some Somalians.

He claimed other Somalis approached him directly after Zulu had, but he refused their offers, and afterwards, a van started parking outside his spaza shop, Nomhle said. He told Nomhle the men did not leave the van or make contact with him.

Several residents and members of various political parties marched to the Vosloorus police station yesterday to demand answers and to call for Kubheka’s safe return.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who also joined the march, said the case signalled a cancer in SA surrounding spaza-shop ownership and operations.

“Mazwi is someone to me, his family and the community he serves,” he said.

“He can’t be treated as just another missing person statistic. We want his safe return.”

Kubheka’s disappearance is not an isolated case around tuckshop ownership in the townships. In March last year, Woza Afrika artist Manqoba Ntombela was gunned down in Ratanda.

Speaking to Sowetan at the time, the Ratanda Spaza Shops Forum said they could not rule out that his killing could be linked to the attacks on spaza shop owners.

Kgothatso Ramautswa, president of the South African Spaza-Shops Association, said Kubheka’s disappearance reflected a continued pattern of attacks on their members.

“We condemn what is happening and will be investigating the matter to try to understand what happened,” Ramautswa said.

“We can’t allow foreign nationals to dictate processes in SA, as we understand some foreign nationals are alleged to have approached Mazwi and told him to stop operating the spaza shop.

“This comes as we are fighting that these spaza shops must be in the hands of locals. Our very own government is not protecting us with the by-laws, where the safety of spaza owners is not prioritised. We don’t know where to run to.”

Gauteng police spokesperson Capt Tintswalo Sibeko said a missing person case was being investigated.

“Two people of interest were taken for questioning [on Sunday], statements were obtained, and the docket will be taken to the senior public prosecutor on [Tuesday] for a decision. No arrest has been made yet, and the investigation is ongoing.”

Nomhle said her brother, who had been unemployed, began operating the spaza in February last year.

“There is no way he could have just left and not said anything to anyone; he is not like that, and we are alarmed,” she said.