Mapara A Jazz claim to have been kidnapped in Ethiopia, where they were booked to perform.
The John Vuli Gate hit makers, Mapara A Jazz, have safely returned home after claims of being kidnapped in Ethiopia.
“We want to sincerely thank everyone who showed us love, concern and support during this difficult time — from both Ethiopia and South Africa,” wrote the duo after landing back in South Africa on Monday.
They were performing at the Adey Music festival over the weekend.
Mapara A Jazz’s hit song John Vuli Gate is one of the biggest South African hits in recent history, driven by social media challenges that made it a viral hit during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The song’s title was also chosen as the campaign slogan for interim DA leader John Steenhuisen’s campaign for party leadership.
14 days to go! pic.twitter.com/rd1BcjnDxs
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) October 17, 2020
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Mapara A Jazz’s call for help
According to posts on their social media, the duo left South Africa on Thursday last week ahead of the Saturday concert.
In their first post after landing in the East African country, the duo asked their fans to pray for them.
“Guys we are in Ethiopia, please pray for us so that we may not see someone without a chin,” read the ominous post.
After their performance, around 2am, the duo wrote that they were kidnapped in Ethiopia. A few hours after that post, they asked for help.
The following post was a terrifying image of one of the members, with one side of his face swollen and a long scar on his face.
Soon after the graphic post went viral, South African head of public diplomacy Clayson Monyela promised to assist.
They're back home. Our security agencies will reach out for a debriefing session so that we get to understand what happened. https://t.co/uDIciRWk2w pic.twitter.com/LZ1zcj7MNe
— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) October 27, 2025
“Our team in Addis Ababa is looking into these reports. We’ve not been notified by any authorities. Updates will be provided,” Monyela wrote.
Monyela said security agencies will reach out to the duo for a debriefing session to understand what happened in Ethiopia.
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