The disappearance of the Nkangala District’s municipal manager, Maggie Skosana, and her personal assistant and driver, Gugu Mtsweni, remains a mystery.
The two have been missing since Thursday morning, October 20, when they were kidnapped outside the municipal offices, allegedly by a group of men impersonating police officers.
There is speculation that the manager’s kidnapping could be connected to her work, however, these allegations have not been proven true. Relatives and friends have started a movement requesting the public to assist with allocating these two.
The Mpumalanga ANC said it has received with great shock and pain the sad news of the abduction and kidnapping of Skosana and Mtsweni by unknown and camouflaged people.
The party’s provincial spokesperson, Ngelosi Ndlovu, said, “The ANC condemns this act of criminality and cruelty against women who are part of the most vulnerable sections of society.
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“We join the ANC Regional Executive Committee of Nkangala, the municipality and the entire community in making the call for any person who has any information about this matter, to urgently inform the police. A case of kidnapping has been opened and the law enforcement agencies are doing all in their power to get to the bottom of this matter.
“As the ANC, we have confidence in our law enforcement agencies and remain hopeful that the culprits will be arrested soon, and the MM and her driver will be found in good health. We call for calm and maximum support for their families.”
The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, promised to leave no stone unturned to save the kidnapped victims’ lives.
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The Mpumalanga SAPS said a case of kidnapping has been registered in Middelburg. A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said according to information, it is alleged that the victims were attacked at the municipality’s gate before they could enter.
“Reports at the police’s disposal indicate that the victims were stopped by suspects in a white sedan, wearing police uniforms. Both vehicles were seen driving in the same direction, following each other. Immediately after the incident was reported, the police launched an investigation, and the victim’s vehicle was recovered abandoned in one of the surrounding mines.
Mohlala said that a wheelchair believed to be belonging to Skosana, and some other properties believed to be belonging to both victims, were also recovered in the abandoned vehicle.
