The kidnapping case against Lebombo Port of Entry policeman, Sergeant Samkelo Honest Mlotshwa, and two others was withdrawn in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court today (Wednesday January 22).

Mlotshwa, Esmael Nangy and Stefan Brites were accused of kidnapping the owner of Desai Cash and Carry, Zakariyya Desai, in KwaDukuza shortly after he had attended prayers at the local mosque on September 10.

Some men armed with AK-47s and in a VW Polo kidnapped Desai and fired some shots when some bystanders tried to prevent the kidnapping, but no injuries were reported.

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The case was investigated by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) who crisscrossed several provinces including Gauteng and Mpumalanga in their quest to reach the bottom of the kidnapping.

The members of the Hawks first arrested Mozambican nationals, Nangy and Brites, in Gauteng before later raiding Mlotshwa’s house in Matsulu on November 21 at about 01:00 in the morning.

Mlotshwa was not at home at the time, and his neighbours called to tell him some armed criminals were breaking into his house.

He immediately contacted the Matsulu Police Station, but upon their arrival they were informed that the ‘criminals’ were in fact members of the Hawks from KwaZulu-Natal and that they were investigating the kidnapping case.

Mlotshwa’s house was later torched, and his legal representative, Adv Vusi Segodi, blamed this on the Hawks.

He claimed Mlotshwa had told him that the Hawks members had told the community that he was an abductor and that they should burn his house.

“Indeed the house was set on fire and the so-called members of the Hawks failed to cordon it off and secure it as a crime scene,” said Segodi at the time.
He confirmed that an arson case was opened at the Matsulu Police Station.

Segodi said the Hawks team then descended on Mlotshwa’s other house in Matsulu.

“They searched it and found his service pistol, which they took to the Matsulu Police Station,” said Segodi.

He defended Mlotshwa, saying he had known him for years and that he was not capable of kidnapping anyone.

The NPA regional spokesperson of Kwazulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, confirmed that the charges against Mlotshwa and the other two have been dropped.

“The accused faced charges of kidnapping, extortion and attempted murder. Their appearance relates to the September 2024 kidnapping of a KwaDukuza businessman. After a careful consideration of the matter, including consultations with the relevant stakeholders, the State decided to withdraw charges against all three accused,” said Ramkisson-Kara in a statement.