Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K: Runner Reports Over 100 Phones Stolen on Heritage Day

• Khathutshelo Mulaudzi said her bag was cut during the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K race in Johannesburg on 24 September 2026
• Mulaudzi claimed she was joined at a police station by more than 100 other runners who reported losing their phones during the same race
• SAPS confirmed receiving social media reports about the incident but said only one formal theft case had been opened at the time

A runner who participated in the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K on Heritage Day has described how what was meant to be a celebratory road race turned into an afternoon spent at a police station, after she discovered her cellphone had been stolen during the event.

Khathutshelo Mulaudzi was among numerous runners who reported theft during the 10km race, which took place on Thursday, 24 September 2026. She said her bag was cut at some point along the route, though she could not pinpoint exactly where the theft occurred.

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Taking to X on the same day, Mulaudzi alleged that individuals posing as fellow runners had moved through the field targeting participants.

"It was a great run, but criminals posing as runners targeted us. I'm currently at the police station with more than 100 other people whose phones were stolen," she wrote.

She added:

"What should have been a day of celebration has ended with hundreds of victims reporting the same crime."

SAPS Confirms Only One Formal Case

While Mulaudzi's account described a large number of affected runners, police figures told a different story at the time of their response.

SAPS spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said Johannesburg District police management had taken note of the social media reports linked to the race. However, only one theft case had formally been opened. Sibeko confirmed that the circumstances surrounding that case were under investigation and that no arrests had been made.

Police encouraged anyone who lost a cellphone or other belongings during the race to report the incident at their nearest police station, and cautioned the public against sharing unverified information online.

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Race Drew Thousands Through Johannesburg Streets

The Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K started and finished at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, with the route taking runners through parts of the CBD, Nelson Mandela Bridge, and the M1 and M2 highways. The event forms part of the broader Absa Run Your City Series, one of South Africa's prominent mass-participation road-running programmes.

On the elite side, Kabelo Mulaudzi successfully defended his men's title. For recreational runners like Khathutshelo Mulaudzi, however, the post-race experience centred not on finishing times but on missing belongings and police reports.

Her account has raised questions among the public about what security measures are in place to protect participants at large-scale road races, where thousands of runners move through open city streets carrying personal valuables.

Source: Briefly News