Bela Bela mother relives harrowing kidnap ordeal

MOKOPANE – The nurse, who wants to remain anonymous, said during an interview with Bosveld she travelled from Bela-Bela with a taxi to Mokopane during the last week of January.
“I had to fetch my mentally disabled child at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital. The taxi dropped me of in Thabo Mbeki Street where I was waiting to catch a ride to Polokwane. I was with two other women whom I met at the hiking spot.
A green Opel Corsa hatchback stopped next to us with a middle-aged man in the car asking where we were going. I told him I was on my way to Polokwane to fetch my child and he offered me a lift as he was heading in that direction. There were potato bags on the back seat so he could only offer a lift to one person.”
According to the woman they travelled out of Mokopane on the R101 towards Polokwane.
“The man took the turn-off to Uitkyk and said he needed to fetch something at a farm. I did not become suspicious as he had the bags of potatoes on the back seat. The suspects took a second gravel road to the left and two more turns to the left and stopped under a tree. He then took out a knife and threatened me with it. He took my purse and all my money and asked for more money.
“I told him I gave him everything I had but he continued to ask me what else I could give him.
“I then realised he wanted to have sex with me and I told him I was HIV positive.
“At first he did not believe me but I kept to my story. He then took my bank card and said he was going to take me to withdraw money,” she said.
On their way back to town the woman said she saw a truck approaching them at the R101 T-junction.
“I jumped out of the car and the truck driver saw something was wrong and stopped.  The man who abducted me sped off and I got into the truck. The truck driver took me to Mokopane to report the matter to the police and to see if we could find the suspect.
“I am grateful to this truck driver; he stayed with me at the police station until I completed my statement. He then offered to take me to Polokwane to fetch my child who by this time did not know where I was.”
The suspect was arrested last week Thursday on a charge of robbery with a weapon other than firearm. He appeared in the Mokopane Magistrate’s  Court and remains in custody for further investigation.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za