Bulawayo businessman searches for missing wife

Bongani Moyo, Online Reporter

A BULAWAYO businessman and Zanu-PF member, Mr Sabelo Ngwenya of Filabusi, is appealing for information that could help locate his wife, Miss Thubelihle Ndlovu, who he says disappeared in December last year under circumstances he considers suspicious.

Ngwenya, who operates a cross-border taxi business, said he had exhausted all avenues in trying to establish his wife’s whereabouts and had now turned to the media in the hope that someone could provide information on her location.

“My wife disappeared in December 2025 and up to now I have not been able to find her. I have tried everything within my means and used all the connections I have, but all efforts to locate her have proved fruitless,” he said.

Ngwenya said this was not the first time Thubelihle had left without informing him, claiming that she had previously crossed into South Africa without his knowledge.

He said he had used his contacts and experience in the cross-border transport business to trace her and facilitate her return to Zimbabwe.

“This is not the first time she has disappeared. At one point she crossed the border into South Africa without my knowledge. Because I operate cross-border transport taxis, I used all the connections at my disposal and managed to get her back,” he said.

Ngwenya said he was determined to continue searching for his wife until he established what had happened to her.

“I will not rest until I find my wife. I have done everything I can and I will continue looking for her because I need to know where she is and that she is safe,” he said.

He said he had paid lobola for Thubelihle in 2012 and had also been supporting her family, including her father, Mr Victor Ndlovu, who he said was unwell.

“I paid lobola for her in 2012 and we began staying together in January 2022 and I have also been taking care of her father, Victor Ndlovu, who has been ailing. I have been supporting the family financially,” he said.

However, investigations by this publication established a different account of the circumstances surrounding the relationship.

A relative of Thubelihle, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that she had been forced into the marriage, by her uncle and members of the Johanne Masowe Apostolic Church.

At the time of the paying of lobola, Thubelihle was reportedly underage at 15 years, hence the reason the two did not immediately stay together.

According to the relative, Thubelihle had repeatedly expressed discomfort with the arrangement but felt she had little choice because Ngwenya was providing financial assistance to her ailing father.

“She had always expressed that she was not comfortable with the arrangement. She was being pressured by her uncle and people from the church, and she felt she had no choice because Sabelo was helping to look after her father,” said the relative.

The relative alleged that Thubelihle’s concerns about the relationship had been raised within the family but did not result in her leaving the marriage.

However, Ngwenya maintains that Thubelihle is his wife and says he remains focused on finding her.

The circumstances surrounding Thubelihle’s disappearance remain unclear, and the allegations made by both parties could not independently be verified.

Anyone with information that could assist in establishing Thubelihle’s whereabouts is urged to contact her family or the police.