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Police search for missing Soweto woman Boniswa Mapota

Published

Boniswa Mapota, 40, left her home in Jabulani on 17 October to buy headache tablets at a nearby shop and has not been seen since. Police are asking the public for information.

Her mother reported her missing at Jabulani police station. Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said she was last seen wearing a cream-white tracksuit. Nevhuhulwi said she was reportedly on her way to a tuck shop.

Her mother, Irene Simelane, said the family fears Mapota may have blacked out after a headache. Simelane said her daughter did not sound like someone who wanted to run away. She also said Mapota had taken antidepressants since a car accident in 2017.

Simelane said Mapota received a message on the morning she vanished about a lawyer handling the family trust. She said arrangements needed attention on Monday. Her husband, David Mapota, said the family first thought she had gone to visit friends in their residential complex.

Mapota has three girls. Anyone with information can call the Crime Stop line on 08600-10111.

Key facts

Who
Boniswa Mapota (missing 40-year-old woman from Jabulani, Soweto); David Mapota (husband of Boniswa Mapota); Irene Simelane (mother of Boniswa Mapota); Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi (police spokesperson, Col)
What
Boniswa Mapota left her home in Jabulani, Soweto, to buy headache tablets at a nearby shop and has not been seen since. Her mother reported her missing at Jabulani police station, and police are appealing for information.
When
17 October 2026
Where
Jabulani, Soweto
Status
Reported

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