Bongani Codana, 45, went missing in November after being kidnapped from his workplace by men who also hijacked a company grader he was using. Picture: Supplied
For a distraught Nomzekelo Nonyhebe of Thokoza in Ekurhuleni, the festive season heralds only gloom.
Her husband, Bongani Codana, 45, went missing last month after being kidnapped from his workplace by men who also hijacked a company grader he was using.
SA Police Service officer Mapula Mawila said yesterday Codana’s disappearance on November 18 from Batcon Services in Pretoria West was being investigated.
“We have been to the company premises where his boss showed us CCTV footage of him entering his workplace. The footage did not show us anything else, as we expected. Because this disappearance is unusual, we are working with a team under a commander to track his cellphone and are now awaiting the results. His boss seems to be more concerned about the lost grader than the missing employee.”
Nonyhebe said: “We have sleepless nights because we don’t know what’s happened to Bongani. We have nothing to celebrate this festive season without him.”
According to Codana’s brother, Simphiwe Muteyi, on November 15 Codana received a phone call from unknown people who asked if he was at work.
“When he asked where they got his cell number from, they said from the [company] office. When they arrived, the men said he should show them where work was to be done with the grader. Normally he would be sent to such jobs via his boss.
“After getting to an unknown location, they took his cellphone and bank card, blindfolded him and left him tied up for 12 hours.
“Later he managed to untie himself and realising the grader was missing, he went to report it to his boss, suggesting that the machine be tracked.
“After reporting it to the police, my brother called to tell us of his ordeal, saying his money was safe as he gave the criminals the wrong pin number.”
Muteyi added: “We reported a missing person to the police. His boss only showed us CCTV footage of him entering the premises. There were four cameras around the office area and that camera was marked lens 14, meaning we could have been shown more.”
Codana’s boss, Bennie de Jager, said he suspected it was hijacking, adding that his family should fetch his salary.
– brians@citizen.co.za
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