Man found handcuffed in toilet is discharged from hospital
"They just kept me there tied up like an animal. I was waiting for them to kill me... I was so sure I was going to die at their hands," he recounted.
The 22-year-old man who was kept prisoner, handcuffed and his legs tied together with steel wire in a toilet in a well-known businessman’s tavern in Ezakheni has been discharged from hospital and is hiding in a safe place, fearing for his life after being abducted by four unknown men.
More arrests were made late this afternoon (Wednesday) after he was rescued earlier today by the Ladysmith K9 Unit, acting on a tip-off. The young man revealed his horrifying situation in an exclusive interview with the Ladysmith Gazette. He described it as a nightmare.
Siphamandla Sithole, who (according to a police report) attempted to break into a tavern last Thursday, thanks his family for not giving up on him as he faced death while being kept prisoner and repeatedly assaulted by the suspect’s ‘hit man’.
The young man told the Ladysmith Gazette that four men approached him on Thursday night around 11pm. They never spoke a word, with one of them pointing a handgun at him. The other three had steel rods and forced him into the back of the truck they were travelling in.
“They threw me in one of the cold rooms after we arrived at the tavern,” explains the terrified man.
When he realised the door was not locked, he got out of the cold room. “That is when they began to assault me with the gun, hitting me on my head. They tied me up with steel rods and locked me in the toilet.”
He also said he could hear people talking and drinking at the tavern, but was scared for his life as he was told he would be killed if he tried to scream, move or even make a sound.
The young man also revealed that he was treated for his wounds while still being kept prisoner by a well-known local doctor who is known to the Ladysmith Gazette. “This is the second time I have been treated for these wounds. A doctor came late at night while I was still kidnapped and saw the way I was handcuffed, but never asked why I was handcuffed or told anyone where I was being held.”
More arrests are expected, as more people seem to have known about the missing man’s whereabouts.
The victim denies being involved in any robbery attempt at the tavern.
“They just kept me there tied up like an animal. I was waiting for them to kill me… I was so sure I was going to die at their hands,” he recounted.
“I was so relieved when the police burst in and rescued me.”
His family have expressed outrage at why Ezakheni police, when told of the youngster being held prisoner at the tavern, did nothing but laugh. It is alleged that it took going to Ladysmith police for officers to finally act.
