Msholozi man awaits justice after assault leaves him unable to walk

Mcebo Mathonsi (22) has been bedridden for nearly eight months following a brutal assault that left him without the use of his lower limbs. He said his three attackers still roam the streets of Msholozi without facing the consequences of crushing his dreams and changing his life in September last year.

Mcebo explained that he had been attending additional classes to improve his matric results. On his way home from school, he was allegedly attacked by three men. He said he knew his attackers and believes they held a grudge against him from earlier school years.

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“They beat me to a pulp using fists and kicked me everywhere on my body. I was just defenceless and I did not know what to do. They proceeded to cut my left big toe with an unknown tool in a quiet street of Msholozi,” the young man said. He added that he was abandoned near a tavern. “During the ordeal, the attackers told me to remember what I did to them while we were pupils at Cyril Clark Secondary School,” he said.

Mcebo was found by a local man who called his mother, Nomcebo, to fetch him. “I thought he would die. I took him home to clean him up and called the ambulance to take him to Rob Ferreira Hospital,” she said. Nomcebo explained that once he had received medical treatment she had hope that her son would survive. “He stayed in hospital for a night, but was later readmitted for a week after he complained about body pains,” she added. Nomcebo said Mcebo was scheduled for an MRI in April, but has not been scanned yet.

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The family lives with unanswered questions, including whether Mcebo will ever be able to walk again. He relies on the assistance of his mother and siblings to move around the house. “I feel defeated for not being able to do something I was capable of doing before. We take things like walking for granted until it’s gone. But I have hope that I will regain movement of my lower limbs, despite not receiving sufficient assistance and medical advice from the hospital,” he explained.

Mcebo said an assault case was opened at the White River Police Station in November 2025. “We approached the police after I recovered from the incident so that I could give my statement to the police in a better state of mind,” Mcebo explained.

Monica Nyuswa, the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, confirmed that the case was seen in the White River Magistrate’s Court on March 12 of this year. She said the docket was sent back to the police station on the same day to comply with the public prosecutor and has not been re-enrolled since.

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Mcebo said his mom, who is an unemployed widow with five children, is now caring for a son living with a disability. The family is pleading with the community for assistance with a wheelchair, adult diapers, and access to physiotherapy and psychological support to help Mcebo cope. They are further calling for a thorough investigation into the assault, and for his attackers to be held accountable.