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A 13-year-old boy testified about his terrifying kidnapping ordeal during the trial in the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court.
- An 11-year-old boy was kidnapped at gunpoint in 2022 and held captive while four men demanded a R1-million ransom.
- Now 13, he finally testified, describing an ordeal that included being forced to call his mother for the ransom.
- In an interview on Friday, the family said they live under heavy security with cameras and other safety measures.
Three years ago, an 11-year-old boy was abducted at gunpoint after his driver pulled out of the boy’s home on his way to school.
He was held captive for hours while his captors demanded that his mother pay a R1 million ransom.
Four men, including the boy’s neighbour – who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping plot – were arrested and charged in a sting operation later that evening, where R90 000 was used as bait.
The 40-year-old neighbour, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, is charged along with Lindokuhle Mthokozisi Thabede, 29; Mvelo Khuzwayo, 29; and Fisokuhle Mathews Mbatha, 32, in connection with the 2022 kidnapping.
The boy, now 13, had been waiting anxiously to testify in the trial, which began after many delays in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
“I had this cloud of worry hanging over me... With the case being postponed over the years, I worried about whether I’d still remember everything when I had to testify,” the boy told News24 on Friday.
READ | KZN boy testifies about praying for survival during R1 million kidnapping ordeal
He was speaking from his new home, which his mother said had heavy surveillance with cameras and numerous other security measures.
In his testimony, the boy recounted how he was afraid, with a mask over his eyes, while being kept in a structure made of corrugated iron sheets.
He told the court how one of his captors had walked into the room where he was held, grabbed him by the shoulder, placed a phone in his hand and instructed him to tell his mother to give the men what they had asked for.
“I feel a little relieved now that I have testified. I will only be completely relieved once my mother is also finished testifying. My worry has always been, ‘What if they send people for us to stop us from testifying?’…”
The boy’s mother began giving her evidence on Tuesday, and the matter was adjourned until 28 July for her to continue.
“Once I’m done with my testimony, the whole family will be going for counselling again because I think that having to relive the ordeal through testifying has taken all of us back,” she said.
She said their lives haven’t been the same since the kidnapping, and she has had to tighten security around her family.
She said:
We don’t know who to trust in our lives, and it makes it that much more difficult to ensure that we are safe when I have employees and people around me. Some months ahead of the trial starting, people broke into my home despite the security measures in place. They did not take anything; they headed straight for my bedroom. We have it all on camera.
“They waited from 21:00 until 05:00. They left when they saw that I was not coming home. The only way this happened was through information these people had from someone close to me.”
The neighbour was the last accused to be arrested after apparently being linked to the incident by cellphone evidence. Other evidence the State is expected to present includes an ID parade and expert testimony relating to fingerprints belonging to one of the accused found in the shack where the child was kept.
