Highly-monitored kidnapping case of a South African businessman suspected to involve two Malawian nationals

* A building in which the victim was being held against his will since April 2 was guarded by the two Malawian nationals, who have not been named as investigations into the case are ongoing

* The victim was found alive when he presented himself unharmed at a police station on Saturday night after missing for a month when he left home to pay rent for his spaza shop in Vosloorus

By Duncan Mlanjira

For a month, South African law enforcement has been searching for a Vosloorus city businessman named Mazwi Kubheka who owns a spaza shop, and was reported to have been kidnapped and upon being debriefed, two Malawians are reported to have been involved.

A report by SAnews.gov.za quotes Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Provincial Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni as saying the victim was kidnapped while on his way to the bank and was held at a location believed to be a hijacked building.

Lesufi further indicated that the victim told the police that he was guarded by two Malawian nationals during his captivity at the building they were guarding.

The report adds Lesufi also disclosed that the kidnapping included South Africans and two suspects of Ethiopian origin and that the authorities are still investigating whether the incident is linked to the spaza shop-related crime or broader criminal activity.

The police commissioner told the media that they followed multiple leads, including reviewing video footage, analysing bank activity, tracing suspects and deploying crime intelligence resources through a Joint Operational Centre — but made no breakthrough until Saturday evening when Kubheka presented himself at the police station around 19h30.

“…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 to a nearby police station in Vosloorus,” Mthombeni is quoted as saying, adding that Kubheka provided a statement to investigators, which has since led police to follow up on new leads.

Mthombeni added that the victim could not fully account for events during his captivity as he had been blindfolded for most of the time.

News of this case was brought to the attention of Maravi Express by a South Africa-based Malawian, who indicated that “our country image is being tarished in this highly-covered kidnapping case”.

He hinted that since Shepherd Bushiri’s prominence in South Africa that also led to his escape from alleged criminal charges, Malawians are losing credibility, saying:

“For years, Malawians have been regarded as good people through their honest image in South Africa. Bushiri just destroyed that from the perception of his church and then his escape. We have now lost our credibility in South Africa.”