Last week the WITBANK NEWS reported on the story of Mapule Beauty Mdzipa (39) who went missing last year. There was a sigh of relief from her loved ones after knowing that she is alive and safe.
More good news is that two suspects were arrested and charged with kidnapping.
To recap on the story, a case of missing person was opened at Phola SAPS by Mapule’s sister on Thursday, January 11.
This comes after the 39-year-old woman went missing on December 18, 2017 at about 02:00. Her boyfriend called her for help after he was allegedly hijacked and lost everything. He then went to Mapule’s home situated in Phola to collect her so she could assist him with the incident.
The two left for Daveyton where she was taken to Barcelona at Etwatwa where they slept in different places.
During this time Mapule was apparently harassed and physically assaulted by her boyfriend who instructing her on what to say to her family when they call.
The family last spoke with her on her boyfriend’s cell phone on December 21, 2017 and Mapule allegedly promised to come back home.
He ended up stripping Mapule’s cell phone so that she could not be called any more.
The 39-year-old woman managed to escape by lying to the guard that she is going to a nearby tuck-shop, while the suspect was not around.
Mapule managed to get to Phola SAPS and opened a case of kidnapping against her boyfriend.
She told police about the threats she got from her boyfriend such as “If you escape. I am going to trace you and kill you and your family”.
Mapule’s family took her to a place of safety where they felt she would be protected and no one will harm her.
A few days later the 37-year-old suspect went to look for her but failed to find her. The accused was around Phola daily but hid from police. On Wednesday, January 24 at about 12:30 the man returned to Phola with his former girlfriend and a male friend who both come from Etwatwa. They went to Mapule’s home and gained entrance by jumping over the fence.
Sipho Msumba and Nolufefe Mbulana have been arrested and charged with kidnapping after Mapule Beauty Mdzipa went missing in December 2017.
In the house was Mapule’s mom aged 56 and 20-year-old Thato Makgoka (Mapule’s sister-in-law).
They grabbed the victim’s mother and tied her hands with a rope. They hit her with a firearm on her mouth and covered her with a blanket.
“They demanded that she give them her daughter, the escaped victim. They threatened them that if she cannot bring the person they are looking for, they will kill Thato,” read a statement from Mpumalanga Corporate Communication SAPS.
They kidnapped Thato and dropped her off outside Phola.
The male friend remained behind in Phola. The saying is true “You can run but you cannot hide”. The man was caught by community members who suspected that he was involved in the kidnapping of Thato. They took him to Phola SAPS where he unfortunately escaped by jumping into a shallow flowing river within the township and possibly went back to Etwatwa.
With all this going on, the police worked tirelessly to trace the suspects and the victim. Meanwhile Mapule’s father received several threatening calls from the man that if he does not get Mapule back, he is going to kill Thato.
Members of Phola and Ogies SAPS started to search for the suspect and the victim from Friday, January 26 until the following morning on Saturday with no success. On Saturday the police regrouped with other members from different components of the SAPS which included local detectives, Tactical Response Team, Witbank Cluster Tracing Team and other Vispol members to go to Etwatwa to search for the two suspects and the victim.
A break through was made when police visited a house in Barcelona at Etwatwa where the three were hiding. The 37-year-old suspect got into the deep freezer after he saw the police outside but as the officers in blue searched the premises he was found in his hiding place.
The man an his former girlfriend were arrested and charged with the kidnapping of Mapule and Thato. The search continues for the male friend who is still on the run after escaping.
The pair appeared at Ogies Magistrates Court on Monday, January 29 and the case was postponed to Monday, February 5 for a formal bail application. Both suspects remain in custody.
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