Suspected spaza shop 'syndicate' under microscope after abduction of businessman

JM

Jabulile Mbatha

4 May 2026 | 4:45

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi revealed that a group of people consisting of South Africans, Ethiopians and Malawians kept Vosloorus businessman Mazwi Kubheka hostage.

Suspected spaza shop 'syndicate' under microscope after abduction of businessman

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi addressing the Soshanguve residents after the murder of at least six community patrollers. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/Eyewitness News

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has said that the police are still investigating whether the kidnapping of Vosloorus businessman Mazwi Kubheka is part of a syndicate involved in spaza shop territory disputes.

Kubheka was released on Saturday after he was allegedly kept hostage for at least a month.
He was allegedly abducted while on his way to the bank and had his cellphones stolen.
Kubheka presented himself at the Vosloorus Police Station a day after hundreds of community members marched, calling for police to speed up the investigations.

Lesufi was speaking alongside Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni at a briefing on Sunday at the Vosloorus Police Station, giving an update on the investigation.

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Lesufi revealed that a group of people consisting of South Africans, Ethiopians and Malawians kept Kubheka hostage.
The premier said they cannot rule out the possibility of the motive being a dispute over Kubheka’s spaza shop.

This is because his family said that Kubheka had been in conflict with some other shop owners over territory.

"The confirmation that we can make is that they are using hijacked buildings and where the victims were kept. There were two Malawians who were guarding the victim," said Lesufi.

Lesufi added that there are currently no arrests and the investigation remains open.

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