Delmas — A local resident from Delmas N12, Sbusiso Brian Mamaile (22), was violently beaten on 30 December 2025 after being accused of stealing an electrical cable.
“They almost killed me. I was beaten with a shovel, a hammer and a wheel spanner, and I was struck on the head,” he said the assault was carried out by a mother and her son, along with other individuals using objects such as a shovel, hammer and a wheel spanner.
Dorothy Mamaile’s mother, said her son was confronted while working at a neighbour’s property on 30 December 2025, when a white Volkswagen Polo allegedly arrived carrying Simon Mqwathi, his partner, their son and other individuals.
“My son was brutally beaten and then taken by the police while injured and bleeding. He was arrested and taken into custody without medical attention,” Dorothy Mamaile said.
Sbusiso was arrested based on CCTV footage presented to police, but Sbusiso and his relatives dispute the authenticity and relevance.
Sbusiso stated that the footage does not depict him and predates the alleged incident by more than two weeks. “The person in that CCTV footage is not my son. Even the posture is different, and the footage is dated 14 December, not 30 December when the assault happened,” Dorothy said.
After his arrest, Mamaile said her son was detained overnight at Delmas SAPS without receiving medical care, despite his injuries.
“I went to the police station on 31 December to check on my son and discovered that he had not been given any medical attention,” Mamaile said medical treatment was only provided after the family intervened.
Mamaile first appeared in court on 02 January 2026, where he was granted R500 bail. He returned to court on 12 January 2026, and the case was postponed to 26 January 2026 for further investigation.
The family also opened a case of assault.
Police informed Dorothy that those who assaulted Mamaile, particularly Simon Mqwathi’s partner and their son, were arrested on 05 January 2026. Mqwathi’s partner appeared in Delmas court on 06 January and was released on bail, while the son was released as he is a minor. Both cases remain under investigation.
The Highveld Chronicle has reviewed the CCTV footage provided, as well as photographs of Mamaile’s injuries. According to his family, the individual in the footage is not Mamaile. Mamaile is shorter, has broad shoulders, and a distinctive bone on his left shoulder that is not present on the person in the CCTV footage.
Mamaile sustained multiple injuries during the assault, including visible bruises and cuts on his head and body. X-rays reveal injuries to his spinal area, and he is receiving ongoing medical treatment at Witbank Hospital.
The Highveld Chronicle contacted Simon Mqwathi, the father of the minor suspect and partner to the woman accused, for comment regarding the allegations but he did not respond.
The newspaper has also submitted questions to Mpumalanga SAPS regarding the basis for Mamaile’s arrest in light of the disputed CCTV footage, the delay in providing medical treatment to Sbusiso while in police custody, the handling of the assault case, among other allegations and questions. They did not respond to enquiry.
