DESPITE suspects being in custody, police have so far failed to trace a man kidnapped at Festival Mall in September.
According to Fhatuwani Mukwevho, the younger brother of Itani Kanakana, Kanakana was allegedly kidnapped shortly after withdrawing money from a bank at Festival Mall on September 30.
“After we opened a case, we realised the police were doing nothing. Even though we told them my brother disappeared from Festival Mall, they did not even bother to go there,” he said.He said the family then started investigating themselves.
“We went to Festival Mall and spoke to the manager. She agreed to show us the CCTV camera footage. We saw my brother being approached by a stranger who led him to a red Toyota Corolla. From the footage, we managed to get pictures of the suspect and the registration number of the car. We gave the police all the information and that was when they managed to arrest the first suspect on October 9,” he said.Kanakana said the police arrested the second suspect the following day.
“Are the police so toothless that they can fail to get the whereabouts of my brother, even when we helped them arrest the suspects?” he asked.
When asked how he feels about his son’s disappearance, Itani’s father, Edward Kanakana, said he had lost faith in the police.
“I don’t know what is happening with the police today. They have suspects who have confessed to kidnapping my son but have failed to locate my son. It is unbelievable,” he said.
Kempton Park SAPS spokesman, Capt Jethro Mtshali said: “We fully understand the family’s devastation, especially with losing one of your family members in a mysterious manner. We wish to assure the family that this matter is receiving attention.
“The detective is investigating a similar case where the same suspects were involved. However, police officers have and are trying their best to establish the whereabouts of the missing victim.
“Anyone with information can contact the police. The detective put all his effort into ensuring that the suspects be denied bail. He has also tried to get the suspects to tell them what happened to their victim. We have asked the family to be patient and to allow the police to deal with the matter.”
