Mozambican national kidnapped last year found dead in Witbank

Guitabali Samgi, a 53-year-old woman from Mozambique who lived in Nelspruit and was kidnapped on 15 October last year, has been found dead.

Lowvelder reported last year that Samgi was travelling from The Crossing shopping centre to her home at Elawini Lifestyle Estate when she was kidnapped.

Sadly, the Hawks confirmed on Friday that Samgi’s body had been found in Witbank, wrapped in white sheets.

According to reports, the kidnappers demanded millions for Samgi’s release, which the family paid, but she was never released.

The last communication received from the suspects was in December 2019, until Witbank police confirmed that the body of a woman found in the area was Samgi.

TimesLIVE reported on Monday that eyewitnesses saw Samgi get into a gold Chevrolet on the day she was kidnapped.

“Her car was found at Cairn, on the outskirts of Mbombela, with the driver’s window smashed. Her belongings were found inside the car,”  Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brig Leonard Hlathi, told Lowvelder last year.

It is also reported that a CCTV image of a potential suspect has been released by police.

A potential suspect being sought by SAPS. Image: SAPS

Updates to follow as more information is made available.

(Compiled by Nica Schreuder. Background reporting by Lowvelder’s Landé Willemse.)

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