Durban — The mother of a then-11-year-old boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint and held for ransom in 2022 hopes that there will be no more delays and that the trial finally gets under way in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
“The case has been dragging on for so long. I am praying and hoping that there are no more delays and the trial starts because emotionally, this is taking a toll on me and my son and the whole family,” said the boy’s mother.
The trial had been set to start in January, however, it was adjourned because two of the four accused had legal representation issues.
There have been other delays between then and now, coupled with the fact that trial dates had to be set around the school calendar to accommodate the child witness.
The child’s mother had paid R90 000 ransom to his kidnappers, including his neighbour, who is alleged to have been the mastermind.
Lindokuhle Mthokozisi Thabede, 29, Mvelo Khuzwayo, 29, Fisokuhle Mathews Mbatha, 32, and the 40-year-old neighbour of the child are alleged to have kidnapped the boy at gunpoint and kept him at a house. They had demanded a R1 million ransom from the child’s mother.
The boy’s neighbour can not be named in order to protect the minor child's identity.
“We are living in fear; any person who has to stand in court and testify against someone lives in fear of their lives. We are scared that something might be done to stop us from testifying, especially since there is one of them who was not been found and arrested. We don’t know what that person is doing to help the accused stop the trial from being heard,” said the mother.
The accused are alleged to have kidnapped the child as he was being transported to school. The vehicle was not far from his home when he and his driver were abducted.
After the child was kidnapped, his mother contacted the police. The ransom was given to the accused under surveillance by the police.
The child was kept in a house until he was rescued by police after one of the accused volunteered information about the child’s location. This was after the police had intercepted the vehicle the accused had been travelling in.
Thabede, Khuzwayo and Mbatha have been denied bail while the neighbour is out on bail.
“I can see that my child is troubled by this he keeps asking when the trial will start and what is taking so long. We are praying that this time it will not be postponed,” said the mother.
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