Parents of the Missing Thulani Cele Informed by DIRCO That He Is in Prison, but Have Not Yet Spoken to Him

• Stranded footballer Thulani Cele's parents have spoken out about their son's plight in the eastern European country of Georgia
• Cele went missing at the beginning of the month while supposedly undergoing trials with the country's top-division side FC Gagra
• It then turns out the whole thing was a scam with him being the victim, before he was arrested by Georgian authorities as he attempted to return home

The unfortunate Thulani Cele's family has given an update on their son's current whereabouts.

Cele was undergoing trials with Georgian top-division side FC Gagra at the time of his disappearance.

IOL then reported that he had been arrested after trying to return home to South Africa, having been the victim of a scam, with the trials all having been a ruse. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has been spearheading the effort to repatriate Cele with the help of the Polish government, as South Africa does not have an embassy in Georgia.

Footballer Thulani Cele goes missing on trial in Georgia, resurfaces after being arrested as victim of a scam

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His father Bongani told SAFM in an interview earlier:

"It's been tough for us as the family. It's hard to deal with this. But we have made some progress, DIRCO has assisted us and confirmed that he's in prison. But I still need to hear from him or see him.

"DIRCO is assisting us with a legal representative. They have made a lot of progress . But in everything, I still want to see my son or speak to him. That's the most important thing for me. Not that I doubt the authorities, but seeing or speaking to him will give us relief."

Cele added:

"Right now we don't have any means to go to Georgia but if I did, I would be there today. I'm pleading with anyone who can assist, to help me to go to Georgia, so I can see my son. I'm his father and I need to speak to him.

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"And please don't tell me about Baggio, I don't have anything to say him. I heard him on radio saying Thulani is his son and calls him Daddy dearest. He hasn't even called us. I don't want to see the guy. He's why we are in this situation"

The agent in question, Collen ‘Baggio’ Mashawa, has now spoken to Soccer Laduma about the missing footballer.

'Baggio' is the nickname of the agent Collen Mashawa, who organised Cele's trip to Europe, as per Soccer Laduma.

Footballer Thulani Cele goes missing on trial in Georgia, resurfaces after being arrested as the victim of a scam

The family of Nedbank Cup Ke Yona talent search graduate Thulani Cele is becoming increasingly worried about his whereabouts in the eastern European country of Georgia following his arrest.

As reported by Sports Brief, Cele is from Umlazi, a township located southwest of KwaZulu-Natal's largest city Durban, and was on trial with the country's top-division side FC Gagra at the time of his disappearance.

Cele, who was snapped up by AmaZulu after his performances for the Ke Yona composite side in 2021, did not make the cut at the Durban-based side.