ALIZE VAN DER MERWE FOUND ALIVE
The Cape Town woman who was kidnapped on 20 September in the Eastern Cape was found alive on Thursday.
Her kidnappers dropped her and another victim off at the Sulenkama Police Station. Sulenkama is 180km from Port St Johns.
Van der Merwe was on her way to the Umngazi Resort in Porst St Johns. At this stage, details about the other woman who was kidnapped are still limited.
It’s believed she is a tourist from China and was taken on the road between Barkly East and Elliot three days before van der Merwe.
Hawks spokesperson Ndiphilwe Mhlakuyana said, “It looks like they were kept in one place”.
“The investigators are still talking to them, but they will soon take them to the closest health facility for medical treatment.”
Daily Maverick reports that Mhakuvana said the Hawks put the suspects under pressure, and he believes that this is why the women were dropped off at the police station.
“The Hawks can confirm that two kidnapping victims, a 39-year-old and a 34-year-old, were released by the suspects on 26 September 2024 at approximately 12:15 in the afternoon. It is reported the victims were dropped off by a white Toyota single-cab bakkie near Sulenkama Police Station.”
Police said arrests have been made.
Image credit: Scrolla Africa