Woman linked to kidnapping of East London businessman to appear in court

A 23-year-old Schornville woman linked to the kidnapping of an East London businessman who escaped captivity in April is expected to make her appearance in the Qonce Magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old man who runs a business in Chislehurst went missing during a car show on 5 April.

Breakthrough

Police spokesperson warrant-officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said officers made a breakthrough and arrested the woman this week.

“The suspect is expected to appear before the Qonce Magistrate’s court on 7 May 2025. The Hawks anticipate more arrests as the investigation is still ongoing.”  

Mhlakuvana said the man suffered a grim ordeal.

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“During the aforesaid incident, apparently, the victim was accosted, stabbed, and forcefully taken into the boot of the suspect’s vehicle. Thereafter, it was divulged that the victim’s Volkswagen Golf 7 GTi was also hijacked, which was later recovered abandoned and burnt to ashes at Bisho off-ramp near N2 road.”

Rescue

Mhlakuvana said the victim was held hostage for a few days, with the kidnappers demanding his mobile phone, bank card and PIN numbers.

He said the matter was then handed over to the Hawks for investigation.

“An investigation ensued, which established that the perpetrators ostensibly withdrew the victim’s cash. An intelligence-driven investigation led to a particular homestead where the victim was kept in Schornville location.

Through cohesive work between the Interim Kidnapping Task Team of the Hawks and the community, a 23-year-old suspect who was positively linked to the said kidnapping incident was arrested. Furthermore, the suspect presumably has orchestrated and played a major role in the abovementioned incident,” Mhlakuvana said.

Questions

The man was reunited with his family, who welcomed his rescue and shared photos and videos on social media.

However, they have raised questions about his kidnapping ordeal as police investigations continue into the incident, which gripped the small East London community.

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