Woman uses Twitter to search for brother she never met and finds him living 30 minutes away

A 27-year-old woman from Johannesburg, South Africa, took to Twitter to ask for help in finding the brother she never met. And she got the help she asked for.

Poet Sanelisiwe Sani Xaba shared a tweet with details about her long-lost sibling, including his name, where he was born, and their mother’s name.

She added: “I am your sister. Please retweet and help me find my brother. I need him.”

Fortunately, a follower who recognised the name got in touch with Sanelisiwe and helped reconnect her with her brother who was taken away from their mother by his dad before Sanelisiwe was born.

Speaking to Metro UK, Sanelisiwe said: “I feel numb. I tweeted around 5pm. I woke up the next morning and boom! Someone knew him. It’s someone who grew up with him. I didn’t think it would be that quick. 

“I met my brother, who is 34, the very same day.”

She added: “I keep asking my boyfriend if it really happened. It only hit me the next morning and I just started crying in the bathroom. I was emotional the whole day. I’m at peace now. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

Sanelisiwe, who moved to Johannesburg to aid her mission to find him, adds that the two had been living just 30 minutes from one another.

She said: “The first time I saw him was scary, I remember we stood staring at each other for a few seconds which felt like an hour. I thought ‘Oh my god, you look like Siyanda (her other brother)’ and I said it out loud. We hugged and I cried. We sat across each other just amazed. I offered him water and my boyfriend offered him a beer and a joint. We sat and talked and exchanged pictures. It was an amazing feeling. The entire time I sat studying his face.

“We hugged again for a good 15 minutes.”

Sanelisiwe then told her mum about finding her brother. Her mum thanked her for bringing the family together. The family is now enjoying getting to know one another.