Who are the Gcaba brothers? Age, wives, taxis, education, profiles, net worth
The Gcaba brothers are a prominent family business empire in South Africa. Mandla, Sthembiso, and Mfundo are the most famous Gcaba siblings. This article unveils the Gcaba Durban transport empire's history and assets and the luxurious lifestyles of some Gcaba family members.
Source: Twitter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Profile summary
- What is the history of the Gcaba brothers?
- How many Gcaba brothers are there?
- Who are the Gcaba brothers?
- Why are the Gcaba brothers feared?
- How many taxis do the Gcaba brothers own?
- How are the Gcaba brothers related to Jacob Zuma?
- Who is Mandla Gcaba?
- How old is Mandla Gcaba?
- Who is Sthembiso Gcaba?
- Who is Mfundo Gcaba?
- Who are the Gcaba brothers' wives?
- Gcaba brothers' wedding
- What is the Gcaba brothers' net worth?
- Where do the Gcaba brothers live?
- The Gcaba brothers' bodyguards and cars
- What is the Gcaba brothers' Instagram account name?
- Facts about the Gcaba brothers
The Gcaba brothers are also known as Abafana BakaGcaba in Zulu. The headquarters of this alleged transactional crime ring is in Umlanzi, eThekwini, KwaZulu Natal. Mandla Gcaba is the face of the organization. Like his family, he owns various businesses and brands in South Africa.
Profile summary
| Organization's name | The Gcaba brothers |
| Known as | A KZN black family business empire |
| Founder | Simon Mkhulekelwa Gcaba (late) |
| Year of establishment | 1970s |
| Type of business | Taxi transportation service providers |
| Number of vehicles | Over 500 taxis |
| Headquarters | Umlanzi, e Thekwini, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa |
| Famous Gcaba members | Mandla, Sthembiso, Mfundo, Nkosikhona, Mpilo, Mfana Kamoses, Khanye Juhgcaba, Mxolisi, Nana, Junior, Wandile, Thembinkosi, Thembelan |
| Occupations | Businessmen |
| Nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Zulu tribe |
| Former CEO | Mandla Gcaba |
What is the history of the Gcaba brothers?
The late Simon Mkhulekelwa Gcaba established the Gcaba brothers organization in Umlanzi in the 1970s. The affluent businessman owned several enterprises in Umlazi township, including Sonke and Mama's Bakery.
Mkhulekelwa had five wives and many children. The Abafana BakaGcaba leader was assassinated in February 1996 via a brazen hit, but his demise did not stop the organization from growing.
Simon's sons took over the family business and made it grow and spread throughout the KwaZulu Natal province. Twenty-seven years later, the Gcaba brothers' organization has become a household name in South Africa.
How many Gcaba brothers are there?
South Africans only know a few people associated with the Gcaba brothers organization. The family keeps most of the information about them private, including the number of children Simon has sired with his five wives and how many have joined the family business.
Source: Original
Who are the Gcaba brothers?
Publicly known Gcaba brothers' family members are:
- Mandla
- Sthembiso
- Mfundo
- Nkosikhona
- Mpilo
- Wandile
- Thembinkosi
- Mfana Kamoses
- Khanye Juhgcaba
- Mxolisi
- Nana
- Junior
- Thembelan
Why are the Gcaba brothers feared?
The Gcaba brothers' organization has been linked to various criminal activities, including murder, extortion, weapon trafficking, and illegal business. They are known throughout SA for being ruthless to many who have dared to cross their path.
It is believed that the Gcaba brothers have used their wealth to buy the loyalty of several police officials and powerful politicians. Their biggest rival is the oGumede organization, and they don't befriend gangs or gang members from the Cape.
Source: Instagram
How many taxis do the Gcaba brothers own?
The Gcaba brothers' taxis are an interprovincial and domestic fleet of over 500 cars, including taxis and minibuses. Their organization owns one of the largest taxi operations in the country.
How are the Gcaba brothers related to Jacob Zuma?
The Gcaba brothers allegedly have close family ties with the former South African president Jacob Zuma. It was alleged that they financed his presidential campaigns by transporting his teams countrywide. In July 2021, the Gcaba brothers denied sponsoring or financing unrest in the country over Zuma's arrest and imprisonment.
Who is Mandla Gcaba?
Eric Mandlakapheli Gcaba used to head and manage the Gcaba brothers' taxi empire. He is probably the most prominent in the family. The Zulu businessman was key in transforming South Africa's taxi sector.
Mandla left the family business to start his own. He owns a sizable fleet of 15 four-seaters and 22-seater minibus taxis and has made numerous investments in SA's construction and property development sectors.
In 2012, Mandla denied using political influence and being Jacob Zuma's nephew to get an R300 million Port Shepstone transport contract. The contract went to Ugu Transport, which is 80% owned by taxi operators and 20% owned by smaller bus operators, including Mandla's Amandla Emicabango Trading company.
How old is Mandla Gcaba?
Mandla's age ranges from 56 to 57 in 2024. He was 42 years old, according to an October 2009 WordPress publication. At that time, he had three wives and twelve children. He was also a foster parent to his late brothers' twenty-two children and several siblings, cousins, nephews, and nieces.
Source: UGC
Who is Sthembiso Gcaba?
Sthembiso is another famous Gcaba brothers associate. He has over 30 taxis in his fleet and bought two new Quantum minibus taxis for his firstborn son in October 2020.
In March 2021, the Durban taxi boss was driving a recently purchased Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 63 S (valued at R3.4 million) when the police arrested him. The car did not have registered license plates.
They found Sthembiso possessing 70 stolen SASSA cards and R7 640 in cash. The cops confiscated the items and the car before arresting him for allegedly withdrawing money at an ATM in the CBD using the stolen SASSA grant cards. A USB stick was found after allegedly being thrown out of the car window.
The Durban Central District Task Team had been investigating the then-47-year-old. The North Beach taxi association chairperson was taken to court and charged with fraud, theft, and possessing stolen property.
A charge sheet showed that Sthembiso made 133 withdrawals on Saturday, each for R1 800, thus accumulating the money to R239 400. The Durban magistrate's court granted him R5 000 bail because the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the taxi industry.
According to the TimesLIVE report, some SASSA cards loaded with lots of money were swapped out of a police station exhibit room and replaced with blank SASSA cards.
Eric Gcaba Mandla told TimesLIVE that he left his brothers to their devices in the taxi industry and walked away from the family empire. He couldn't confirm or deny if his nephews and brothers knew the arrested taxi boss.
Source: Facebook
Who is Mfundo Gcaba?
Jacob Zuma's nephew, Sydney Mfundo Gcaba, is an alleged member of the Gcaba brothers organization. The South African businessman started Umhlanga-based Bright Circle in 2017 and owns several other companies in agriculture and logistics.
Mfundo Gcaba implicated in AKA's murder
In March 2024, Mfundo Gcaba was said to be linked to people who allegedly killed Mzansi rapper AKA (real name Kiernan Forbes). AKA and his close friend, Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane, were gunned down on 10 January 2023 outside a restaurant in Durban.
Seven suspects – all under 36 – were arrested in connection with the murder and are on trial. The KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner told the press that the killers were paid. They had monitored AKA from the airport, and Tibz was not their target.
In addition, state prosecutor Elvis Gcweka told Durban Magistrate's Court that a day after AKA and Tibz were murdered, Bright Circle, a company owned by Mfundo, allegedly paid over R800,000 to the bank account of Harvey Mziwethemba Gwabeni, one of the murder suspects.
The prosecutor also claimed that Harvey called Mfundo before the money got into his account and a day after the murders. The money may have been split equally among the seven suspects.
The Gcaba family denied the prosecutor's accusations with a statement:
It is important to note that financial transactions between Mfundo and Mr Gwabeni were purely for business purposes. These numerous transactions over a long period of time can be verified through bank records and were neither unique nor isolated. We are concerned that the authorities have not yet approached Mfundo to share his side of the story.
Social media users have tried to find a connection between Sydney Mfundo Gcaba and Moses Tembe, the father of the late Anele Tembe. Anele Tembe was AKA's girlfriend, and she died from injuries sustained in a fall from the 10th floor at the Pepper Club Hotel in Cape Town.
Source: Facebook
It is said that Tembe took the Gcaba brothers under his wing when their father was assassinated in the mid-90s in Umlazi. In April 2024, he issued a statement requesting people to stop accusing him and his family of AKA's murder.
The same month, police minister Bheki Cele dismissed social media posts suggesting he was frightened of the Gcaba brothers. People questioned why Sydney Mfundo Gcaba had not been arrested in connection to the AKA and Tibz's murder case.
People misinterpreted a video of Cele speaking to JJ Tabane on Frank Dialogue about a feared business person in KwaZulu-Natal. He had to clarify that he was talking about Inanda taxi boss Siyabonga Gethsemane, not the Gcaba family.
Gethsemane was suing for R100 million because he was arrested in November 2023 alongside his 12 bodyguards for allegedly marching onto a construction site and threatening to take over.
The Gcaba brothers' shootings in Durban
The Gcaba family name also came into the spotlight when one of their own, Mfundo Gcaba, was mentioned among the eleven men accused of participating in a shooting at the Brook Street minibus taxi rank in 2015, which killed 15 people.
The shooting was believed to have been provoked by a long-standing dispute between Sonke and Zamokhule Long Distance Taxi Association over a specific route. Mfundo was the main driving force behind Sonke's illegal invasion of minibus taxi routes that allegedly caused the shooting at the Brook Street taxi rank.
Mfundo revealed the value of his luxurious cars during a Durban Magistrate’s court hearing. His business owned 24 taxis worth R300 000 each; it had 24 drivers and three managers and generated approximately R400 000 monthly.
The Durban businessman also revealed that he owned a 2010 Audi RS6, 2014 Golf 7, and 2009 Audi Q7 worth around R300 000 each, an R350 000 2014 Range Rover Evoque, and an R200 000 2012 Mercedes Benz C Class.
Mfundo said he was single and the sole breadwinner of his eight children, three boys and five girls. His children lived with their mothers, and the oldest was 11.
Source: Instagram
Who are the Gcaba brothers' wives?
The Gcaba brothers do not disclose the identities of their close relatives to the public and keep their children and wives out of the public eye.
Gcaba brothers' wedding
One of the Gcaba brothers, Nkosikhona, married Sithandwa Khumalo in 2021. The lustrous private ceremony happened in the Brahman Hills of the KZN Midlands. The bride drove to the venue in a Rolls Royce.
What is the Gcaba brothers' net worth?
The Gcaba brothers have not publicly declared their wealth, but many believe the family is worth billions of South African Rands. Sources like Africansmag.co.za report they are worth $10 million, but the Gcabas have not confirmed this.
Besides the massive Gcaba family taxi empire, the public knows a bit about the properties and individual taxi businesses of the three famous Gcabas, Mandla, Mfundo, and Sthembiso.
Where do the Gcaba brothers live?
The general public is not provided with information about the locations of the Gcaba brothers' houses. The family often shows off their luxurious lifestyles but does not expose their homes online.
The Gcaba brothers' bodyguards and cars
A video of the Gcaba Brothers' cars making a majestic entrance at Durban Umlazi went viral on X (formerly Twitter) in January 2022. They arrived in fancy cars like Ferraris, G63 wagons, and Bentleys, as bodyguards armed with rifles walked next to them.
Source: Instagram
People had conflicting opinions about the trending video. Some believed they were displaying their power to scare off rivals, while others perceived it as mere showoff.
The public questioned how the taxi owners could afford that lifestyle, with many wondering why they needed tight protection when most SA billionaires rarely parade around such heavy security.
What is the Gcaba brothers' Instagram account name?
Most of them are off social media, and those on these platforms might need official verification for the public to identify their accounts. For instance, Mpilo Gcaba's unverified Instagram page, @gcabampilo, has 4,197 followers as of September 2024.
Facts about the Gcaba brothers
- The Gcaba brothers are nephews of former South African president Jacob Zuma.
- Their family organization has other businesses in SA besides taxi transportation.
- Some of the Gcaba brothers have been charged in court for unlawful conduct.
- The Gcabas have never been convicted of any crimes directly linked to them.
- Mandla and Sthembiso are in their 50s. The ages of their siblings are unknown to the public.
- The educational qualifications and ages of the Gcaba brothers are unknown to the public.
- Mandla and some of his brothers are polygamous because it is a traditional practice. He also needed three wives to help look after his late father’s various homesteads.
The Gcaba brothers are millionaires living luxurious lifestyles. Being mentioned in court cases and controversial political news has exposed some of their posh cars, businesses, and powerful associates/relatives in government.
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