WATCH | My brother is not the same since abduction — Kubheka’s sister

Mazwi Kubheka, the spaza shop owner who went missing a month ago, walked to Carnival City in Brakpan, on the East Rand, where he was picked up by an unknown motorist who dropped him off near the Vosloorus police station.

This is according to his sister Nomhle, who told a media briefing on Sunday that her brother walked to Carnival City, which was the only place he could recognise.

The briefing included Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni and premier Panyaza Lesufi, as well as Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, ActionSA Ekurhulenu mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo and community leaders.

Nomhle said Kubheka told them that where he was kept, he didn’t know whether it was day or night because the light was never switched off.

Kubheka went missing on April 2, allegedly on his way to the bank to deposit money.

Nomhle said his captors released him following the Friday march where people were calling for his release. This followed the Monday one where ActionSA members marched to the Vosloorus police, urging police to do more to find Kubheka.

The Friday one, Nomhle said, angered her brother’s captors. “They started being aggressive towards him, asking him who exactly he was. Why is this thing (march) happening and why is there such a big march...”

She said they have since organised a safe place for Kubheka, as they think the family is being watched.

Nomhle said she has noticed that her brother was no longer the person she knew before his abduction. “He is a very soft person but now he is irritable and terrified at the same time.”

Nomhle said the family wanted the mayor to make a directive to close the local spaza shops. However, Xhakaza said the city would enforce bylaws and intensify raids, checking on businesses and their licences.

He said they would be looking into spaza shops, restaurants, catering businesses and accommodation, among others. “A lot of houses in our communities are owned by ourselves, but we make it possible for foreign nationals to dominate these sectors that are reserved for South Africans.”

During the briefing, Mthombeni said Kubheka could not fully account for what had happened to him as he had been blindfolded for most of the ordeal

He said Kubheka had told them that he was only unfolded at a place where he was kept at. He was allegedly guarded by two foreign nationals, Mthombeni said.

“At around 19.30 on Saturday, the victim presented himself at the community service centre where it is alleged that he was picked up by a motorist near Carnival City in Brakpan, who brought him nearby the police station,” he said.

He said the police managed to obtain a statement and Kubheka was taken to hospital where he received medical attention.

Mthombeni said the information they received from Kubheka was followed up, which led them to an address in Kensington, but police could not find the person Kubheka described.

Lesufi said the matter will remain open as police continue with their investigations.

Sfiso Shongwe, 31, a community leader in Vosloorus, said while they were happy Kubheka returned home safely, they wanted answers as to who kidnapped him.

“We are not at ease. Why is he only coming back after we had to do so many demonstrations. We deserve answers. Who kidnapped him, where was he? What was happening to him during the month of being kidnapped and how was the treatment where he was kept?” Shongwe asked.

Another resident, Sifiso Zungu, said while he did not know Kubheka personally, “when you touch one of us, you touch all of us”.

“We knew this was not just a missing (person) case. It was a case of a young person who tried to run away from poverty because of unemployment in SA. We did not give attention to the fact that we know each other or not, but our focus was to say we are going to search for you ... we are only praying to God that we found you alive.”