The search for the spaza shop owner, Mazwi Mpumelelo Kubheka, gains traction due to widespread media coverage and a community protest in Vosloorus on Monday, 27 April.
According to Sowetan, the community and ActionSA staged a protest outside the Vosloorus police station, calling for a prompt investigation and the return of Mazwi.
Last week, the City of Johannesburg hosted free workshops for spaza shop owners and informal traders.
Participants learned about running their business legally in South Africa, as well as the support programmes available that can help them access growth opportunities, and more.
MAZWI KUBHEKA IS STILL MISSING ALMOST A MONTH LATER
The #BringMazwiBack movement is blowing up on social media, demanding his safe return after he has been missing for almost a month.
The 27-year-old was last seen on 2 April 2026, while he was heading to the bank to make a deposit; sadly, he didn’t reach his destination.
Reportedly, Mazwi’s refusal to sell his spaza shop to certain foreign nationals resulted in his alleged abduction.
Mazwi’s sister, Nomhle Kubheka, spoke to eNCA, where she suspects certain Somalians as the potential kidnappers of her brother.
“We don’t know what happened, but everything points to the people who were occupying space here because they are the people who are busy asking for space from the neighbours,” she said.
“I don’t know why they took my brother because they could just have asked him, they could have threatened him. The person that he is, he could have just closed the store; there was no need to take him,” she added.
The distraught sister also urged anyone with information about Mazwi’s whereabouts to come forward.
“To the person who last saw him on the 2nd of April. To anyone who has seen my brother, we are pleading, please help us bring him home,” she said.
The poster containing details about Mazwi’s appearance and personal information states the following:
“Mazwi Khubeka has been reported missing. He was last seen at Marimba Gardens.”
Additionally, “he left in the morning to deposit money, but never reached the bank.”
“He was wearing brown high-top sneakers, blue jeans, a black hoodie with a touch of white and black, and a white cap and has three tattoos.”
MAZWI’S SPAZA SHOP HOPE FOR THE COMMUNITY
Mazwi established his spaza shop in February 2026, after the community chased away the previous foreign spaza shop owners in the area, following incidents involving children who fell ill or died after eating snacks from those shops.
