On Tuesday, July 7, a collaborative law enforcement response led to the rescue of a local mother and her child following a kidnapping and carjacking in KaBokweni.

Provincial police said the woman was ambushed by at least two heavily armed suspects, who assaulted her before forcing her to use her cellphone banking app to transfer an undisclosed amount of money.

The woman and her young child were then forced into her vehicle before the suspects sped off with them.

According to police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe, the recovery team consisted of the provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team, a private security task team and a vehicle tracking company.

They located the stolen vehicle in Newscom, KaBokweni, where it had been hidden between two residential properties.

“Inside the vehicle were the mother and child. The suspects had ordered them to remain in the vehicle after driving them into a nearby bush. The suspects fled on foot just moments before law enforcement arrived. The victims were safely rescued without further injury and have since been reunited with their families,” Nonyane-Mpe said.

She added that KaBokweni SAPS has opened a case of carjacking, kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances, and a manhunt for the suspects is under way.

The police are appealing to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to come forward by contacting the Crime Stop hotline on 08600 10111, reporting it to the nearest police station, or sending an anonymous tip-off via the My SAPS app.