Maponya Mall: Family collects spirit of brutally killed e-hailing driver

SOWETO came to a standstill on Friday, 5 September.

Sobs and hymns echoed through Maponya Mall as family members gathered there to fetch the soul of 27-year-old Mthokozisi Mvelase.

For his family, this moment was more than a sendoff.

It was a painful confirmation of a nightmare they had prayed would never come true.

Mthokozisi was brutally murdered on 13 August, shot and burnt inside his car at the mall.

Chilling images of his body trapped in flames spread rapidly on social media, leaving many South Africans shaken and outraged.

On Friday, his family gathered at the very spot where his life was taken to “fetch his spirit” before taking him home to Ulundi, KZN, where he’ll be buried on Saturday, 6 September.

His aunt, Nompumelelo Nyoka, said the past three weeks had been the darkest for the family, as they waited for DNA tests to confirm his identity.

“It has been a very long three weeks. We only got the results on Monday, and that was the only time we could start preparing for his funeral. You can imagine the pain his mother went through, not knowing if it was really her child. It has been emotionally draining beyond words,” Nompumelelo said.

Mthokozisi’s mum, who has now lost her only kid, is struggling to come to terms with the brutal way her son was killed.

“She has no other children, and the thought of burying her only son like this has crushed her. Yesterday, she asked, ‘Why my child? Why like this’? There’s no greater pain for a parent than having to bury their child in this way,” Nompumelelo said, her voice breaking.

She said that while the grief feels unbearable, the family has drawn strength from the overwhelming support shown by South Africans.

“We’ve received prayers and comfort from people we don’t even know, and that has carried us. We are deeply grateful. It feels like the whole country is mourning with us.”

On Saturday, a large convoy is expected to escort Mvelase’s body to his ancestral home in the Hlungwane area of Ulundi, where friends, relatives, and community members will gather to bid him a final farewell.

For his mum, however, the journey ahead is one of learning to live with a silence that will never be filled.

“She is 49 years old, and she’ll never have other kids. Her only hope is gone, and gone forever,” added the aunt.