In the quiet town of Ulundi, a heartbroken mother is reeling from the savage murder of her only son—the family’s breadwinner—who was gunned down and torched in his car mere days after starting as an e-hailing driver, leaving behind a young son now facing a fatherless future, poverty, and the harsh realities of school without his dad’s support.
Mthokozisi Mvelase, 27, had just relocated to Gauteng chasing stability when tragedy struck near Soweto’s Maponya Mall. Police suspect taxi operators, locked in a bitter dispute over turf, shot him and set his vehicle ablaze.
“My sister is a living zombie now. Mthokozisi was her everything, and now his little boy—still in primary school—has to grow up without a father, scraping by in poverty without the guidance and security he provided,” his uncle Doctor Khuzwayo shared, his words laced with raw pain. “She is devastated, and that child… it’s heartbreaking to think of him facing life like this.”
Mvelase was known for his respect and drive. Landing the job, he vowed to care for his ailing mother’s health needs while ensuring his son’s education and basics were covered. “The joy and hope he brought to all of us was ripped away in an instant,” Khuzwayo added. “The brutality of it—shot and burned—it’s heartless, and now that boy is left poor, trying to focus in school amid all this loss.”
The family aims to bury him this Saturday, if the body’s processing speeds up. KZN Social Development MEC Mbali Shinga dropped by Monday, committing to funeral aid and counseling. “This crime’s shockwaves hit the family hard, especially with a young child now fatherless and the household plunged into hardship,” she noted. “We’ve lined up psycho-social support and help for their funeral needs.”
Mvelase’s killing fuels the ongoing war between e-hailing drivers and taxi groups, with fresh violence flaring in Soweto—cars burned, threats hurled—prompting cries for the transport minister to act.
Community voices blame taxi associations for squeezing out ride-hailing at Maponya Mall, escalating dangers for everyone. “Our industry’s besieged,” said Thatho Ramaile, Gauteng e-hailing services chair. “Extortion or taxi rivalries? Whatever it is, it endangers drivers and passengers alike—and families like Mvelase’s pay the ultimate price, with kids left to suffer.”
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela met with mall execs and police Monday to tackle the chaos. “Peace should hold now,” she said. “Emotions ran high, but cooler heads prevailed. A team’s probing last Wednesday’s events, and our hearts go out to the driver’s family, especially that young son facing a world without his dad.”
The National Taxi Alliance in Gauteng calls for calm during the probe. “Wait for facts,” spokesperson Theo Malele urged. “Banning taxis from the mall? That’s misguided—seniors rely on us for Sassa runs and more.”
E-hailing colleagues honored Mvelase with a memorial at Soweto’s Nancefield Hostel Monday afternoon, a somber nod to a man whose death not only shattered his mother but orphaned his son in the cruelest way.
