Nkangala municipal manager Maggie Skhosana (left) and her driver, Gugu Mtsweni, who went missing on 20 October 2022. Photos: Middelburg Observer
After six days of intense searching, Nkangala municipal manager Maggie Skhosana and her driver Gugu Mtsweni have been found.
The women were kidnapped last Thursday in front of the district municipality’s entrance in Mpumalanga, after being tailed by a white Ford Fiesta with blue lights, Middelburg Observer reported.
Mpumalanga police said Skhosana and her driver were dumped by assailants in bushes near the N14 in Diepsloot.
Mtsweni was tied up but managed to manouvre her way to the road, where a taxi driver saw her pleas for help.
Police said both Skhosana and her driver have been reunited with their families.
It is not clear if they were injured.
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Upon arrival at the municipality’s entrance gates, the white Ford flashed its blue lights, resulting in Mtsweni pulling over.
A man with a rifle then entered the vehicle and ordered Mtsweni to drive off.
The vehicle, with Skhosana’s wheelchair inside, was later recovered close to the Middelburg Mine towards Kriel.
The vehicle was still idling when it was found.
A R5 million ransom demand was made earlier this week for their return, with the task team assigned to the kidnapping reportedly identifying several suspects aligned to the Boko Haram gang.
Skhosana was said to have been in the process of awarding a tender with high financial gains when she was kidnapped.
She was also recently seconded to the Sekhukhune District Municipality in Limpopo, where corruption and tenderpreneurship are rife.
The suspects are still at large.
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Compiled by Nica Richards.
These articles were compiled from Caxton publication Middelburg Observer’s website. Read the original articles here and here.