Lowvelders hijacked en route to Mozambique
Their dream holiday turned into a nightmare when five men with guns robbed and kidnapped the six.
MBOMBELA – A handful of Lowvelders’ dream holiday was brought to a traumatic end when they fell prey to five armed hijackers on Thursday.
Ms Stephanie Potgieter as well as Mr Jason and Ms Jessica Robertson and family were travelling to Mozambique when hijackers robbed and kidnapped them in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), leaving them stranded for six hours.
Potgieter announced their departure to Ponta do Ouro on Facebook on Wednesday morning. A photo depicting a lovely Mozambican beach front accompanied her post. Little did they know that they would endure an ordeal less than 24 hours later.
It happened while the Robertson family, Potgieter and one other person were travelling from Pine Tree Lodge near Emanguzi in KZN on Thursday. KZN provincial spokesman Maj Thulani Zwane said the victims, who were travelling in Toyota Fortuner and a Hilux bakkie, were robbed of these vehicles at gunpoint at 06:30. What added to the trauma, is the fact that they spent more than six hours in the bush before the police found them.
“They were found at 13:00 and taken to the police station,” he confirmed.
The suspicion that the stolen vehicles were on their way to Mozambique, led to the South African National Defence Force being deployed along
the border.
“The borderline was sealed off and an air search was launched, but the vehicles have not been found,” Zwane confirmed. Tracker and the SAPS have also been searching the area since Thursday.
On Friday Ms Karen Stacey wrote a message of support on Jessica’s Facebook wall. “Good luck to Jason, Jessica and the two children who were kidnapped, held and robbed. We thank the Lord that you incurred no injuries, although you lost everything. We pray that God will carry you through this traumatic time.” Lowvelder attempted to reach the victims on their cellphones and via Facebook, but was without success.
