Members of the Maphanga family got the shock of their lives when their house was posted on Facebook, with claims that it was being used to stash stolen iPhones.

Faith Maphanga said she received WhatsApp messages from a friend on Monday, January 12, alerting her that her family home was trending on Facebook.

She immediately checked the platform and found a screenshot of an aerial map of the house, accompanied by a chilling message.

“Who knows this house? It’s in Bhabuli Street in KaMagugu. Most stolen iPhones in Nelspruit end up at this location,” read the post by Andrew Mthethwa.

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Arrows on the screenshot pointed directly to the Maphanga home, seemingly to ensure the location was unmistakable.

Faith immediately approached her mother, Mamello Grace Maphanga, and showed her the post. The family later discovered that another user, Kamogelo Bonny Mashego, had shared Mthethwa’s post.

They contacted Mthethwa, who claimed he was unsure of what he had posted before later closing his account. Mashego, however, admitted to sharing the post and said she saw nothing wrong with doing so.

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Mashego’s number appeared as ‘Kedebone’ on Truecaller. She confirmed that her name was Kedebone but said she used the name Kamogelo Bonny Mashego on Facebook.

“I did nothing wrong. I shared what had already been posted by someone else. I don’t even know the person,” Mashego said.

The family then went to the Nelspruit Police Station to open a case.

According to Faith, officers told them they were unsure under which charge the matter could be registered and instead recorded the complaint in the occurrence book.

Faith and her mother later visited Lowvelder Express to report the matter and share the police response.

“The police failed to realise that our lives are in danger because of that post. We can be attacked, and we don’t know where else to go if the police cannot assist us,” Mamello said.

Lowvelder Express contacted provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, who immediately engaged with Nelspruit police management.

We would like to clarify a few key points regarding this matter. SAPS is committed to upholding the law and ensuring all complaints are properly registered and investigated. In this instance, while the complainant did report the matter, it appears officers on duty were initially uncertain about the appropriate charges. Station management later became aware of this and intervened to correct it,” Mdhluli said.

He added that charges relating to the violation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) would be considered.

“The POPIA is significant in protecting individuals’ rights regarding their personal information. The circulation of a photograph, especially without the owner’s consent, raises serious concerns that warrant careful consideration in line with this Act,” explained Mdhluli.

Following the intervention by Lowvelder Express, the police in Mbombela called the family back to the station and took proper statements for further investigation.