Mariana Kotze was not hijacked or abducted – she was caught up in a cyber scam that cost her hundreds of thousands of rand.

The country was abuzz this week following the disappearance of the Kokkedoor contestant and allegations that she had been abducted. In a voice message sent to her husband, Boland, threats were made that she would be killed should attempts to withdraw funds be stopped.

Boland immediately opened an abduction case with the police. The assistance of Willem Enslin and Jacques Kotzé (not related to the couple) was also enlisted.

On Wednesday, while Enslin and Kotzé were with Boland, the couple’s children phoned to say that their mother had contacted them in a highly distressed state and told them she was at a guesthouse in Kempton Park.

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department task force was then called in to collect her from the guesthouse and take her to safety.

Enslin and Kotzé, with the help of Juandré Rautenbach from Divergent Ops, travelled to Kempton Park and brought Mariana back to Marloth Park. At that stage, everyone was still under the impression that Mariana’s life was in danger and that the abductors continued to pose a threat.

On Thursday morning, Mariana granted an interview to Lowvelder in which she described how she had been trapped in a cyber scam, had paid them hundreds of thousands of rand, and had been threatened that her husband would be killed and her children harmed if she did not pay more money.

She said that on Sunday evening, February 1, at 21:00, she received a one-time video on WhatsApp (which can only be viewed once and then disappears) in which she was instructed to pack her bags and drive to Komatipoort on Monday morning.

On her way back to Marloth Park, she allegedly claimed she was forced off the road by another vehicle, where two men jumped into her car, held a firearm to her head and forced her to drive to Malalane.

Upon arriving in Malalane, the voice note was made and sent to her husband. Thereafter, she allegedly followed their instructions and travelled to Gauteng.

However, all of this was a lie. After the interview was published, Lowvelder received multiple CCTV recordings that clearly show Mariana arriving alone in Malalane, driving around, stopping at one point to speak to a man, and then immediately departing in the direction of Mbombela.

Further investigation by Enslin, Kotzé, Rautenbach and Lowvelder contributed to exposing the mystery and unanswered questions surrounding her version of events.

This morning (February 7), Lowvelder again gave Mariana the opportunity to respond to the new information and evidence that had emerged. In an interview with both Mariana and Boland, she admitted that she had been dishonest.

“The whole story began in June last year when I entered a competition to win tickets to Wimbledon. Shortly afterwards, a person who called himself ‘Alex’ confirmed that I was the winner, and I showed this to Boland. The tickets were supposed to arrive within two weeks.”

Boland said he immediately told her it was nonsense, and when the tickets failed to arrive, Alex contacted her again and claimed that an error had occurred. The tickets never materialised.

The conversations, however, developed into an online relationship that became more intimate, after which the demands for money started. Mariana paid R350 000 to the cybercriminal.

In December, Mariana responded to a WhatsApp message from ‘Jannik Sinner’, the Italian tennis player, and the two began chatting. An online relationship developed between the two. This is commonly known as a catfishing scam.

Mariana was also unaware of who Sinner really was, other than that he was a tennis player in Italy.

She was never extorted by him, but Sinner convinced her to join him in Italy. Mariana said: “He told me that I needed to pay him R400 000 and then he would arrange the tickets and visas for me.”

Mariana submitted an application to withdraw funds from an investment. “It was also him who suggested the hijacking story so that I could ensure the funds would be paid out quicker.”

She packed a small bag on her own free will on Monday morning, with the intention of joining him. “I told Boland that I had received an order for platters and needed to go and buy ingredients. I drove to Komatipoort, and this will reflect on my transaction record. I bought facial products and also did a R1 000 cash back transaction.”

From there, she went directly to Malalane, where she drove around. “I stopped a man on the street and asked him to read the message that I had written down so that I could record it. I paid him R800 for this.” She said he could not pronounce Kotze correctly, which is why it sounds like Scott on the recording. Mariana herself produced the background sounds that portrayed fear.

She sent the message to Boland and to the financial adviser. “I wanted to make sure that the withdrawal from my investment was not stopped.”

However, her alert financial adviser rejected the application, a decision that Mariana only realised a few days later, and for which she is now deeply grateful.

In the meantime, she booked her own ticket to OR Tambo International Airport via LimeTime Shuttle, as well as accommodation in Kempton Park. “I wanted to stay as cheap as possible until I could fly.”

On Wednesday, panic set in. “I realised that what I was doing was wrong. I lost my nerve. I asked, ‘Lord, what am I doing?’”

She phoned her children and  ‘broke down’ while speaking to them. The conversation with her children was recorded, and her son-in-law shortly afterwards sent it to Boland. Enslin and Kotzé happened to be there when it came through, and that is how the process began to bring her back to the Lowveld.

“The phone that I broke was my own old Samsung phone that I used to conduct all of these conversations.”

On Friday morning (yesterday), an SMS was sent to Boland’s phone, as Mariana currently has no working phone. It read: “MK, you tried to run, went about it the wrong way. We still want our money. Instructions to follow. Slim Gat.”

The origin of this message is unknown.

Mariana expressed deep remorse for everything her actions have caused: “I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed for me. I am very sorry for what everyone had to go through. I am deeply sorry for what I did to my husband, Boland. I am heartbroken about what I did to my four adult children and grandchildren.

“What follows now is a long and difficult road to regain their trust. There are many women going through the same thing, and I pray that the Lord will support them. May there be forgiveness and healing somewhere.

“It feels as if a ton has been lifted from my shoulders; the truth has set me free. But there is a lot of damage.”

Boland said he believes he may still be in shock. The full truth was only shared with him last night and this morning. “I am processing it. I am calm, and I do not know where this calmness comes from. There may still be aftershocks, and I accept that. She lied to me and that is very hard for me.”

The couple have decided to take time away to process the trauma. “We have told this story once now, and we would like to be left in peace so that we can find healing,” Boland emphasised.

Mariana will undergo psychological counselling once they are back home.

Enslin told Lowvelder: “The truth is now out. Many people were drawn into the process, and I have sympathy for her and for the uncle. Cybercrime is a reality and she was a victim of it, even though she ultimately believed it was real.”

Online romance scams on the rise

Online romance fraud, also known as catfishing scams, has increased significantly over the past few years as more people turn to digital platforms. In 2022, South Africans were defrauded of more than R125m by so-called dating scammers, according to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

This worrying trend has continued. According to the SAPS crime statistics for quarter 2 of the 2024/2025 financial year, commercial crime increased by 18%, with romance scams making a significant contribution to this rise. These figures highlight how vital it is for people to remain vigilant and protect themselves.

The reach of these syndicates is increasingly global. During a pan-African operation in 2025, Interpol arrested 260 suspected scammers in 14 countries. More than 1 400 victims were identified, having lost nearly $2.8 million (approximately R45m), to romance scams and sextortion.

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