The family of 27-year-old Nkululeko Nxumalo from Mnambithi, Newcastle in KZN, continues to search for answers after he disappeared in January under troubling circumstances. Nkululeko, who lived with his aunt and helped support the household by assisting travelers with their luggage in Mnambithi town, has not been seen since mid-January.
His mother, who spoke to Missing Person South Africa in a detailed interview, recounted the timeline of his disappearance and the efforts she has made since then to locate her son.
Nkululeko’s Disappearance Timeline
According to the aunt, Nkululeko would usually spend his days helping at a family store before heading to town, where he earned small amounts of money assisting people with their luggage. Despite his daily movements, he always returned home to sleep.
“I saw him on Monday, I was home doing some cleaning,” she recalled. “On Tuesday, I went to work early, and when I came back, I noticed he hadn’t returned. I didn’t think much of it at first.”
By Friday, still without any sign of Nkululeko, she began asking family members and neighbors about his whereabouts. Rumors started circulating that he had been arrested earlier in the week, reportedly after being found with a machine alleged to have been stolen.
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Community Information
Some individuals told her that Nkululeko had been approached by men at the local taxi rank who accused him of selling a stolen item that belonged to them. These individuals allegedly beat him and attempted to force him into a vehicle. During the confrontation, a police van is said to have passed by and taken him away.
Believing he was in custody, Nkululeko’s aunt says she visited the court the following Monday to check if his name appeared on any court rolls but found nothing. She also visited the police station, where she was told that he may be using a different name in prison — a claim she questioned, especially as no records confirmed his detention.
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Challenges with Investigation
Concerned by the lack of progress, the aunt opened a missing persons case at the police station. However, she encountered delays and inconsistencies in the handling of the case.
“One officer said the person handling the case was suspended, and no one else had been assigned to it,” she explained. “When I asked about CCTV footage or any arrest records from that day, I was told the public is not allowed to view footage, and that they couldn’t find any proof he had been processed at the station.”
Despite persistent follow-ups, including visits to the local hospital and mortuary, there has been no trace of Nkululeko. At one point, a rumor circulated that he had been found deceased, but the body turned out not to be his.
Eventually, she met with Brigadier Mngadi, who had not previously been informed about the case. He promised to investigate and followed up with meetings involving senior officers and investigators. However, to date, there has been no confirmed information about Nkululeko’s whereabouts.
He Said He Knew Where Nkululeko Was Buried — Then Blocked Her
Weeks after Nkululeko’s disappearance, the family received a disturbing message from a man claiming to know what had happened. He alleged that Nkululeko was no longer alive and even offered to show the family where he had been buried. The aunt, desperate for answers, engaged with him, only for the man to abruptly cut off communication and block her entirely. This left the family shaken, confused, and fearing the worst.
This development not only deepened the pain of not knowing but also exposed how cruel and reckless some individuals can be in situations of grief. The emotional toll of having hope dangled and then snatched away is a trauma many families of the missing silently endure.
The family also expressed frustration over the delays and lack of consistent communication from authorities. Initially, the case was opened by an officer who later went on suspension, leaving the mother uncertain about who had taken over the investigation. Despite follow-ups, it was only much later that senior officers like Brigadier Mngadi were informed — a delay that raises concerns about how seriously missing person cases are treated at the early stages.
This case has sparked important questions in the community: How can someone just vanish in broad daylight, possibly in full view of others, and there be no trace? Why is there no urgency when poor families report a loved one missing? And what can be done to ensure that no case, regardless of a person’s background or lifestyle, gets ignored?
For the Nxumalo family, this is not just about finding their son — it’s about justice, dignity, and the right to closure. Until the truth is known, they will continue to knock on doors, hoping someone finally opens with the answers they seek.
It was later discovered that Nkululeko may not have been taken into official custody by police but by individuals driving a white van, the same people who had reportedly assaulted him at the taxi rank. This new lead has raised concerns about the nature of his disappearance and the delay in formal investigations.
The family continues to appeal to anyone with information to come forward and urges authorities to escalate the investigation.
“We just want to know what happened,” his aunt said. “If he’s alive, we want to see him. If something happened to him, we want answers.”
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