Kidnap duo claim they were threatened by ‘Sun City’ cellmates

Tharina Human and Laetitia Nel’s bail application to be moved from “Sun City” female prison after their lives were allegedly threatened was postponed until October in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Human, Nel and Pieter van Zyl appeared in court for the continuation of their bail application which started on Thursday. They are accused of kidnapping six-year-old Amy’Leigh de Jager.

Only Nel has made a formal confession to kidnapping outside a Vanderbijlpark school on September 2.

Investigating officer Motloung also testified that Nel told police everything about the kidnapping and showed them where Human and Van Zyl were.

The court also heard that after Human was arrested, she told police that she wanted to confess, but later reneged following advice from a legal representative.

Motloung said Van Zyl also didn’t confess, but admitted what he did was “stupid”.

The investigating officer did not provide context or say what Van Zyl meant.

While under cross-examination by Nel’s attorney, Stoffel Venter, Motloung maintained that the three accused should not be granted bail because they could re-offend.

“The accused before this court are a danger to women and children,” Motloung said.

“One of the persons that was affected by this crime is the mother of the child.

“She got injured when the child was kidnapped.”

He further explained that all three accused where in a financial conundrum, adding: “It’s possible that they can do it again.

“They need money ... they all need money.”

Nel, who has two children of her own, began crying in the dock when Motloung testified that she was a danger to children.

News24 reported Human’s attorney, David Mey, said she was kept in a cell with 70 other detainees, “who had access to the live stream of Wednesday’s bail application”.

“When Human returned to the prison, other detainees started intimidating her and threatened to kill her, based on what they saw, or heard,” News24 said.

The court further heard that the man who snatched De Jager outside of her school was still at large.

Motloung said he worked for one of the accused and was roped into the kidnapping the night before it happened.

Human apparently cooked up the plan because she was in debt with drug lords, according to a WhatsApp voice note the teacher’s father, Riaan Botha, sent to a family member shortly after she was arrested.

Her father confirmed the authenticity of the voice note, which also relayed information that Human was the mastermind behind the kidnapping of De Jager.

After initially demanding R2 million ransom, her kidnappers abandoned their plan and released the six-year-old girl.

The bail application is expected to continue on October 1 when the defence is expected to present its case. – Additional reporting by News 24 Wire