By: Zilungile Mkhize
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Social Development, Mbali Shinga, has pledged her department’s support for the family of Siyanda Mvelase, the 27-year-old e-hailing driver who was tragically killed in Gauteng last week.
Mvelase was shot and his body set alight inside his vehicle at Maponya Mall in Soweto. The brutal nature of the crime has sent shockwaves across the country and devastated his family.
Shinga led a delegation to the Mvelase family home in eNhlungwane, a remote rural village near Ulundi in northern KwaZulu-Natal, to offer condolences and assess the family’s immediate needs.
“The Department will assist with burial arrangements and provide the necessary psychosocial support to the grieving family,” said Shinga during the visit.
The family is still in deep shock and is awaiting DNA confirmation before funeral arrangements can proceed. Due to the severity of the burning, only Mvelase’s shinbone was recovered at the scene, making identification difficult.
His mother, Khonzi Khuzwayo, who has been struggling to cope with the trauma of her son’s death, has been hospitalised as her health rapidly deteriorated following the news.
Police investigations into the murder are ongoing, and no arrests have been confirmed at this stage.
