Deputy minister’s ‘kidnappers’ to appear in court on Monday

Police revealed yesterday how they came to arrest four suspects allegedly linked to the hijacking and kidnapping of Deputy Justice Minister Thabang Makwetla from private hospital Life Riverfield Lodge in Johannesburg.

The four will appear in the Garankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Monday to face charges of kidnapping and hijacking.

A multi-disciplinary task team comprising members of the Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Detective Services and Crime Intelligence cracked the case just a few days after the incident was reported, they said.

Makwetla’s ordeal began on Sunday night at 8pm when he arrived alone in his private vehicle, a Range Rover, at the hospital in Randburg to visit a friend who is a patient there.

As he entered the parking lot through the main gate, one of the security guards approached him to assist with directions.

While they were talking, three males accosted them at gunpoint.

The armed men forced Makwetla and two security guards into the back of the deputy minister’s car.

The trio were ordered to lie face down. They were driven to a house and then to an ATM, where Makwetla was ordered to give them his bank card and pin number. The hijackers withdrew an undisclosed amount of money.

Makwetla and the two guards were later dropped off in the Madidi area in the North West in the early hours of Monday.

Following up on reliable information, the task team arrested one of the suspects, Brandon Mashigo, 24, on Monday at about 6pm in Garankuwa.

He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of kidnapping and hijacking and was remanded in custody.

Three more suspects were arrested during the night in Pretoria. A firearm and a watch were recovered. – ANA